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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. lean — thin
  4. spell — magic
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. drill — a practice
  7. toast — bread
  8. row — a line
  9. court — of law
  10. club — for dancing
  11. row — to paddle
  12. club — for golf
  13. tear — from crying
  14. club — a group
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. tear — to rip
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. drill — the tool
  22. lean — to bend
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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