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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. can — a tin
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mine — for digging
  8. can — a tin
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. field — farmland
  16. drill — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. field — for sport
  21. can — to be able to
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. field — a subject

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