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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. drill — the tool
  6. spell — letters
  7. sharp — clever
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wound — an injury
  16. spell — magic
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bound — certain
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. tear — from crying

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