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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. club — for dancing
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bear — the animal
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. club — for golf
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bear — the animal
  10. drill — the tool
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. land — ground
  15. race — humankind
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. drill — a practice
  18. land — to come down
  19. club — a group
  20. land — a country
  21. race — a contest
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. kick — in football

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