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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. hand — help
  3. land — a country
  4. drill — army training
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. drill — the tool
  7. stand — to bear
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. land — to come down
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. kick — in football
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. spring — the season
  16. land — ground
  17. rash — a series
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. spring — of water
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. hand — in cards
  24. spring — a coil

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