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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. drill — the tool
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. drill — a practice
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tear — from crying
  9. sharp — clever
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. drill — army training
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. tear — to rip
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. current — of water
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. rule — a law
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — to rule out

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