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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 116 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. net — in sport
  3. shower — rain
  4. net — after costs
  5. cue — a signal
  6. court — for sport
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. net — for catching
  9. spring — the season
  10. court — of law
  11. spring — of water
  12. bulb — for light
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bulb — for light
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — for pool
  18. court — of a king
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. face — part of the head
  21. drill — the tool
  22. face — to point toward
  23. spring — a coil
  24. face — to confront

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