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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rock — music
  6. drill — a practice
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wind — moving air
  10. drill — army training
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. present — the time now
  14. bear — the animal
  15. present — there
  16. wind — moving air
  17. present — a gift
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rock — a stone
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. game — a match

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