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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. fall — to drop
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mate — to breed
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. drill — army training
  8. mate — a friend
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. roll — a list
  14. firm — a company
  15. clip — to cut
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. drill — a practice
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. firm — steady
  21. roll — a cake
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. firm — decided
  24. mate — a partner

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