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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. suit — clothes
  3. club — a group
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. can — a tin
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. suit — to fit
  9. wound — an injury
  10. suit — in cards
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. drill — army training
  16. dip — to sink
  17. club — for golf
  18. kick — in football
  19. cold — an illness
  20. club — for dancing
  21. can — to be able to
  22. drill — a practice
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. can — a tin

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