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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. root — of a word
  3. last — finally
  4. suit — clothes
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. drill — a practice
  8. chest — of your body
  9. root — the cause
  10. last — final
  11. chest — of your body
  12. root — of a plant
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chest — a box
  15. suit — to fit
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. suit — in cards
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. current — electric
  20. last — to go on
  21. drill — army training
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. lie — to recline

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