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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. swing — to play on
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. tear — from crying
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. swing — music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. drill — a practice
  10. lean — thin
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. tear — to rip
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. swing — in golf
  22. lean — to bend
  23. net — in sport
  24. tear — from crying

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