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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fall — the season
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mate — a friend
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spell — letters
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. drill — the tool
  17. spell — magic
  18. craft — boats
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. drill — a practice
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fall — to drop

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