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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 124 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. last — to go on
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. can — a tin
  15. wax — to grow
  16. drill — army training
  17. last — final
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. drill — the 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