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

Word bank: bowl · wake · ground · fork · drill · deal · kid · press

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. drill — a practice
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. ground — the earth
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. drill — the tool
  10. press — to push
  11. fork — in a road
  12. kid — child
  13. ground — a position
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. ground — crushed
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. press — a publisher
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wake — a trail

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