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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. drill — army training
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. current — happening now
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bat — the animal
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. current — of water
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. current — electric
  24. jam — in traffic

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