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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. ground — the earth
  9. club — for dancing
  10. drill — army training
  11. ground — a position
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. last — final
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — a group
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. last — finally
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ground — crushed
  21. drill — the tool
  22. last — to go on
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. temple — a place of worship

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