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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: drill · court · wake · pitcher · bulb · rush · deal · toast

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. drill — army training
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. rush — hurry
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bulb — for light
  13. toast — bread
  14. court — of law
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. deal — to handle
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. drill — a practice
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. deal — a big deal

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