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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. drill — army training
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. squash — the sport
  5. band — a music group
  6. spring — a coil
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. squash — to crush
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. band — a ring
  11. pass — a permit
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. spring — the season
  14. fork — in a road
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. drill — a practice
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. spring — of water
  22. drill — the tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ruler — for measuring

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