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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. roll — a cake
  3. ball — a dance
  4. row — a line
  5. drill — army training
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. drill — the tool
  14. row — to paddle
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. toast — bread
  18. cell — a phone
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. ball — a great time
  22. mine — for digging
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. roll — a list

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