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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 120 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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — for betting
  6. land — a country
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. season — in sport
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. season — of the year
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. tear — to rip
  18. land — ground
  19. march — the month
  20. tear — from crying
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. chip — to eat
  23. land — to come down
  24. ruler — for measuring

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