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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 116 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. squash — to crush
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. drill — the tool
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. object — an aim
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. current — of water
  12. present — the time now
  13. tube — a container
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — a thing
  16. squash — the sport
  17. present — there
  18. wake — a trail
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. drill — a practice
  21. fork — in a road
  22. present — a gift
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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