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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: drill · date · suit · bulb · game · wake · shower · bat

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. game — a match
  2. date — the fruit
  3. drill — a practice
  4. game — wild animals
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — a trail
  9. suit — clothes
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bat — the animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. suit — to fit
  22. bulb — for light
  23. game — a kind of play
  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