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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. drill — a practice
  3. mug — a cup
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. key — the most important part
  6. row — to paddle
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mug — a face
  10. key — for a lock
  11. board — to get on
  12. tear — from crying
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. tear — to rip
  15. row — a line
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. mug — to rob
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. key — in music
  22. drill — army training
  23. trunk — of a car
  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