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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. squash — the sport
  3. spell — letters
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. shower — to wash
  6. squash — to crush
  7. drill — army training
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. drill — the tool
  12. shower — rain
  13. drill — a practice
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spell — magic
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. saw — the tool
  24. straw — a straw man

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