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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mate — a friend
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bark — to shout
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. drill — the tool
  10. cap — a hat
  11. tube — a container
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. season — in sport
  14. cap — a lid
  15. season — of the year
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. drill — army training
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mate — a partner
  23. cap — of ice
  24. shower — rain

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