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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. club — for golf
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. club — a group
  6. wind — moving air
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. squash — the sport
  9. tear — from crying
  10. sharp — clever
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. club — for dancing
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wind — moving air
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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