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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. drill — the tool
  3. spell — a short time
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. cue — for pool
  8. land — a country
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — a signal
  12. spell — magic
  13. tear — from crying
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. saw — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. drill — army training
  19. tear — from crying
  20. saw — the tool
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. spell — letters

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