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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. drill — army training
  4. content — happy
  5. cue — a hint
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. file — a document
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. file — a tool
  16. pop — music
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pop — soda
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cue — a signal
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — the amount
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cue — for pool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com