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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bass · ground · present · shower · wake · can · game · drill

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. can — a tin
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — army training
  5. ground — the earth
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. present — there
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. can — to be able to
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. present — a gift
  12. can — a tin
  13. wake — a trail
  14. present — the time now
  15. bass — low music
  16. game — wild animals
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. shower — rain
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. drill — the tool
  22. ground — a position
  23. bass — the fish
  24. ground — crushed

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