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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fine — all right
  3. tear — from crying
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. tear — to rip
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. fine — high quality
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rock — a stone
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. last — to go on
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. rock — music
  19. drill — the tool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tear — from crying
  22. drill — a practice
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mate — a friend

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