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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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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: season · game · mug · drill · craft · fall · club · content

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. craft — a skill
  3. drill — a practice
  4. season — of the year
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. game — a match
  7. content — happy
  8. fall — to drop
  9. club — for dancing
  10. season — in sport
  11. content — the amount
  12. club — for golf
  13. game — wild animals
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. club — a group
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. craft — boats
  24. content — videos and posts

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