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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. present — there
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. kick — in football
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. present — a gift
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. drill — army training
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. drill — the tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. tear — to rip
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. tear — from crying
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. drill — a practice
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pitcher — a jug

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