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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 120 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rash — a series
  5. mine — for digging
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — letters
  10. tube — the underground
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. rash — hasty
  13. drill — army training
  14. spell — a short time
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. tube — a container
  24. rash — on the skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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