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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. drill — army training
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. field — for sport
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. field — a subject
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. field — farmland
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. suit — in cards
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. suit — to fit
  20. pound — a weight
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. drill — the tool
  23. suit — clothes
  24. date — the fruit

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