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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cap — of ice
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cap — a lid
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. perch — the fish
  10. cap — a hat
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. staff — employees
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. staff — employees
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. staff — a stick
  20. game — a match
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. game — wild animals

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