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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. drill — army training
  3. pit — in a race
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. drill — the tool
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rash — a series
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. pit — a hole
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. toast — bread
  23. chest — a box
  24. wake — a trail

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