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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. drill — army training
  7. bear — the animal
  8. game — wild animals
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. drill — a practice
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. game — a match
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. wake — a trail
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. net — in sport

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