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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. saw — the tool
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. dip — to sink
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. cold — an illness
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. present — a gift
  12. pass — a permit
  13. fork — in a road
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. present — the time now
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. present — there
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cold — not warm
  24. fork — a garden 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