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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. drill — army training
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wax — to grow
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pass — a permit
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. drill — the tool
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mark — a trace
  20. ground — a position
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. drill — a practice

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