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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: rush · hide · drill · mate · mark · foot · game · fall

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mate — to breed
  6. fall — the season
  7. rush — hurry
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mark — a grade
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mark — a trace
  13. drill — army training
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. drill — a practice
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. foot — a measure
  23. fall — to drop
  24. drill — the tool

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