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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: present · cold · wake · bay · drill · ball · firm · rush

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. drill — army training
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. firm — steady
  7. ball — a great time
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. firm — decided
  11. rush — hurry
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cold — an illness
  14. present — there
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. present — a gift
  17. ball — a dance
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. present — the time now
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. firm — a company
  24. ball — a round shape

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