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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · racket · mine · track · safe · game · drill · tear

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. track — a path
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. track — a song
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bass — low music
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. game — a match
  16. tear — from crying
  17. drill — a practice
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. game — wild animals
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bass — the fish

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