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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 116 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — army training
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — to fit
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. club — for golf
  12. last — finally
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. club — a group
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. drill — the tool
  21. tear — to rip
  22. fork — in a road
  23. suit — in cards
  24. leaves — to go away

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