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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. root — of a word
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. drill — a practice
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mine — for digging
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mug — a face
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. last — finally
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. root — the cause
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — to rob
  21. root — of a plant
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — final
  24. rash — a series

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