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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with 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. ground — the earth
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. plane — a tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. ground — crushed
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. ground — a position
  15. tear — to rip
  16. drill — army training
  17. tear — from crying
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. wake — a trail
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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