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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. drill — a practice
  3. roll — a list
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. drill — army training
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. squash — the sport
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. roll — a cake
  11. fine — all right
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mate — a friend
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. mate — a partner
  20. drill — the tool
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rash — a series
  24. fine — a penalty

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