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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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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. track — to keep track
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. shower — rain
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. track — a song
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. snap — to click
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. shower — to wash
  19. squash — to crush
  20. drill — army training
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. squash — the sport
  23. track — a path
  24. fan — to cool the air

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