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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.

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: squash · scale · mine · present · drill · ball · bay · straw

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. squash — the sport
  4. present — the time now
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. ball — a great time
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. scale — in music
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. drill — the tool
  13. squash — to crush
  14. scale — size or range
  15. drill — army training
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. present — there
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. mine — for digging
  21. ball — a dance
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. drill — a practice

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