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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. track — a song
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. drill — army training
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. track — to keep track
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. deal — to handle
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. track — a path
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. calf — a young animal

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