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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. tear — from crying
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. squash — the sport
  6. suit — clothes
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. tear — to rip
  9. suit — in cards
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. content — happy
  12. suit — to fit
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wake — a trail
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. tear — from crying
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — the tool
  20. content — the amount
  21. drill — a practice
  22. squash — to crush
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. mine — for digging

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