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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. lie — to recline
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. sharp — clever
  10. prune — to trim
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. prune — to trim
  13. shower — to wash
  14. drill — a practice
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. drill — the tool
  18. shower — rain

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