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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. hand — help
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. drill — army training
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. squash — the sport
  11. present — a gift
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bark — to shout
  14. last — finally
  15. present — there
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cue — a signal
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cue — a hint
  21. present — the time now
  22. squash — to crush
  23. cue — for pool
  24. hand — part of the body

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