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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ground — crushed
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. fall — the season
  6. ground — the earth
  7. drill — army training
  8. ground — a position
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. tear — to rip
  11. band — a ring
  12. mate — a friend
  13. band — a music group
  14. tear — from crying
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. mate — a partner
  18. drill — the tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tear — from crying
  21. dip — to sink
  22. date — the fruit
  23. mate — to breed
  24. dip — a sauce

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