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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. drill — a practice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. saw — the tool
  5. tear — from crying
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. tear — to rip
  8. drill — army training
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. tear — from crying
  12. swing — music
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. swing — in golf
  15. cap — a hat
  16. toast — bread
  17. drill — the tool
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. fall — to drop
  20. saw — the tool
  21. dip — to sink
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cap — of ice
  24. fall — the season

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