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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. chest — a box
  3. firm — a company
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — steady
  8. track — to keep track
  9. sharp — clever
  10. date — the fruit
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chest — of your body
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. scale — in music
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. drill — the tool
  19. chest — of your body
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. drill — army training

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