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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 120 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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. drill — army training
  4. bass — low music
  5. net — after costs
  6. object — to protest
  7. club — a group
  8. object — an aim
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. object — a thing
  13. club — for golf
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. net — in sport
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. club — for dancing
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. net — for catching
  24. hide — to keep secret

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