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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. drill — army training
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. season — in sport
  8. bore — to drill
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a face
  11. root — the cause
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bass — low music
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cue — a signal
  18. root — of a word
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bore — to tire
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. drill — the tool

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