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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. field — farmland
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. clip — a video
  8. field — a subject
  9. clip — to cut
  10. club — a group
  11. clip — for paper
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. club — for dancing
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. club — for golf
  19. fine — high quality
  20. field — for sport
  21. pass — a permit
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. fine — all right

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