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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. drill — the tool
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. last — finally
  5. pit — in a race
  6. mate — a partner
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. mate — to breed
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mate — a friend
  15. drill — army training
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. last — final
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. last — to go on
  20. pit — a hole
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wind — moving air

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