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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 116 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. net — in sport
  7. drill — a practice
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fall — to drop
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. drill — army training
  12. net — after costs
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. spell — magic
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. net — for catching
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fall — the season
  24. racket — for tennis

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