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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. band — a ring
  3. drill — a practice
  4. cue — a hint
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. band — a music group
  7. ball — a dance
  8. capital — a city
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. staff — employees
  11. capital — money
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pop — music
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. staff — a stick
  16. snap — to click
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pop — soda
  19. staff — employees
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — for pool
  22. drill — army training
  23. pop — to visit
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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