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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mug — a face
  4. row — a line
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rest — what's left
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pass — a permit
  13. craft — boats
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. mug — to rob
  17. rest — a break
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mug — a cup
  21. date — the fruit
  22. craft — a skill
  23. row — to paddle
  24. drill — the tool

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