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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. ball — a dance
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pass — a permit
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. drill — army training
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. ball — a great time
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. fork — in a road
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pass — to spend time

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