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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. drill — army training
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. drill — a practice
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spell — magic
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cold — an illness
  12. current — of water
  13. snap — to click
  14. current — happening now
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. cold — not warm
  20. spell — letters
  21. current — electric
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. lie — to recline
  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