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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. chair — a leader
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. date — the fruit
  8. chip — to eat
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. prune — to trim
  23. dip — to sink
  24. chip — for betting

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