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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. spring — the season
  3. squash — to crush
  4. club — for golf
  5. drill — the tool
  6. spring — of water
  7. club — for dancing
  8. spring — a coil
  9. drill — army training
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. march — the month
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. saw — the tool
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. club — a group

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