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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mate — to breed
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ball — a great time
  5. mate — a friend
  6. deal — to handle
  7. dip — to sink
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. content — the amount
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. clip — for paper
  19. ball — a dance
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mate — a partner
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. content — happy

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