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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mug — a cup
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. ball — a dance
  7. charge — in control
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. charge — a price
  10. drill — the tool
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. charge — electricity
  13. roll — a cake
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. roll — a list
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mug — a face
  22. drill — a practice
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cold — the Cold War

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