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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.

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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. tear — from crying
  3. staff — employees
  4. drill — a practice
  5. ball — a dance
  6. scale — in music
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. tear — from crying
  10. staff — employees
  11. ball — a great time
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. staff — a stick
  16. tear — to rip
  17. drill — the tool
  18. scale — size or range

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