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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. drill — the tool
  5. degree — from a university
  6. fall — the season
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. fall — to drop
  10. hand — help
  11. drill — a practice
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mark — a trace
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mark — a grade
  24. saw — 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