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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. shower — to wash
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. drill — a practice
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rule — a law
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bulb — for light
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. rule — government
  13. drill — army training
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bulb — for light
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rest — a break
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. snap — to click
  24. bulb — of a plant

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