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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bulb — for light
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. drill — army training
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. clip — for paper
  7. race — humankind
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. drill — a practice
  10. swing — music
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. race — the arms race
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. snap — to click
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bulb — for light
  21. clip — a video
  22. race — a contest
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. clip — to cut

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