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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. drill — army training
  5. field — for sport
  6. hand — in cards
  7. rock — music
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pop — soda
  13. scale — in music
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. can — a tin
  16. field — farmland
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pop — to visit
  19. can — a tin
  20. pop — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. scale — size or range
  23. field — a subject
  24. drill — the tool

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