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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. object — an aim
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. object — a thing
  7. chair — a leader
  8. craft — a skill
  9. cold — not warm
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. object — to protest
  12. drill — the tool
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. firm — a company
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wound — an injury
  19. drill — army training
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — decided
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. wound — an injury

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