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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. tear — to rip
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — the tool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. swing — to play on
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. present — a gift
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. present — the time now
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. drill — a practice
  18. deal — to handle
  19. swing — music
  20. present — there
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. swing — in golf

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