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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — the tool
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. last — final
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. tear — from crying
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — a contest
  15. last — finally
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bear — the animal
  18. last — to go on
  19. race — the arms race
  20. hand — help
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wind — moving air

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