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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. bass — the fish
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. kid — to tease
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. tear — from crying
  8. drill — army training
  9. stand — to bear
  10. wound — an injury
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bass — low music
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. suit — to fit
  16. wound — an injury
  17. tear — from crying
  18. suit — in cards
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. suit — clothes
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. kid — child
  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