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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. object — a thing
  3. drill — army training
  4. track — a song
  5. can — a tin
  6. cold — not warm
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. mate — a partner
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cold — an illness
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. object — to protest
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. object — an aim
  19. mate — to breed
  20. track — a path
  21. mate — a friend
  22. track — to keep track
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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