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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. drill — army training
  7. roll — a cake
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. file — a line of people
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. drill — a practice
  12. file — a document
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. roll — a list
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. lie — to recline
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. file — a tool
  21. sharp — clever
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wake — a trail

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