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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.

Make a worksheet

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: drill · racket · snap · object · shower · last · mug · fine

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. shower — to wash
  3. drill — a practice
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mug — a cup
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mug — to rob
  9. object — to protest
  10. last — finally
  11. object — an aim
  12. mug — a face
  13. fine — all right
  14. shower — rain
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. object — a thing
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. last — to go on
  20. drill — the tool
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. fine — high quality
  23. snap — to click
  24. drill — army training

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