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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. mug — a face
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. file — a tool
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. drill — army training
  13. mug — to rob
  14. last — to go on
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mug — a cup
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. file — a document
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. drill — the tool

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