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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. board — to get on
  3. drill — a practice
  4. tear — to rip
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. tear — from crying
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. board — a committee
  9. rash — hasty
  10. mate — to breed
  11. drill — the tool
  12. perch — the fish
  13. mate — a partner
  14. rash — a series
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. drill — army training
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — to rob
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mate — a friend
  24. rash — on the skin

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