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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — army training
  3. game — wild animals
  4. last — final
  5. present — a gift
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. drill — the tool
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. root — the cause
  12. present — the time now
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. present — there
  15. rest — a break
  16. game — a match
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. root — of a word
  20. last — finally
  21. root — of a plant
  22. last — to go on
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wound — an injury

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