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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mark — a grade
  4. fall — the season
  5. mark — a trace
  6. drill — the tool
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. field — a subject
  12. lean — thin
  13. field — for sport
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. drill — a practice
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. fall — to drop
  19. field — farmland
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. lean — to bend
  24. deal — to handle

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