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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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. clip — to cut
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wake — a trail
  8. drill — army training
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. race — humankind
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — a video
  18. date — the fruit
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. race — the arms race
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. race — a contest
  24. saw — the tool

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