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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. chest — of your body
  3. drill — a practice
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pound — a weight
  6. court — of law
  7. craft — a skill
  8. chest — of your body
  9. roll — a list
  10. court — for sport
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a cup
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. court — of a king
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. craft — boats
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. roll — a cake
  21. chest — a box
  22. drill — the tool
  23. mug — a face
  24. ground — a position

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