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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. perch — the fish
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — in a race
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bound — certain
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — obliged
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. fine — all right
  21. drill — a practice
  22. tear — from crying
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. saw — 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