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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. squash — to crush
  3. object — to protest
  4. perch — the fish
  5. ground — a position
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. root — the cause
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. root — of a word
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. drill — army training
  12. squash — the sport
  13. kick — in football
  14. ground — the earth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. root — of a plant
  17. object — a thing
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. object — an aim
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ground — crushed
  24. drill — a practice

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