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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 120 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. present — there
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. drill — the tool
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bat — the animal
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. spell — magic
  11. tear — from crying
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. present — the time now
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. race — humankind
  16. spell — letters
  17. drill — army training
  18. race — a contest
  19. tear — to rip
  20. race — the arms race
  21. spell — a short time
  22. present — a gift
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. sharp — clever

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