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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. drill — army training
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. net — after costs
  12. deal — to handle
  13. can — to be able to
  14. rash — a series
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rash — hasty
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. drill — a practice
  20. net — for catching
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. prune — 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