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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 116 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. drill — army training
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. drill — the tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. field — a subject
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. present — there
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. present — a gift
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. last — to go on
  18. hand — in cards
  19. last — finally
  20. hand — help
  21. last — final
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. kick — in football
  24. drill — a practice

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