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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. charge — in control
  4. drill — a practice
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. present — there
  7. tear — from crying
  8. drill — army training
  9. charge — a price
  10. tear — to rip
  11. present — the time now
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. spell — letters
  14. clip — to cut
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. tear — from crying
  17. present — a gift
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. charge — electricity
  20. clip — a video
  21. spell — magic
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. spell — a short time
  24. clip — for paper

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