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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. drill — army training
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rush — hurry
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wake — a trail
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. tear — from crying
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mug — a cup
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. drill — the tool
  16. suit — to fit
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. suit — in cards
  20. suit — clothes
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mug — to rob
  24. tear — from crying

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