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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 · drill · calf · pop · saw · leaves · snap · ball

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. ball — a dance
  3. pop — soda
  4. snap — to click
  5. drill — a practice
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pop — music
  8. present — there
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. drill — army training
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pop — to visit
  13. saw — the tool
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ball — a great time
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. present — the time now
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. present — a gift
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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