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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. staff — employees
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cold — not warm
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. drill — a practice
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. game — a match
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pop — music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rash — a series
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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