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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mark — a grade
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pound — a weight
  7. present — a gift
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. present — the time now
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. present — there
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. sharp — clever
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. wind — moving air

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