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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. drill — army training
  3. press — newspapers
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. rash — hasty
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. press — to push
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mark — a grade
  14. rash — a series
  15. press — a publisher
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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