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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 116 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. board — a committee
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. deal — to handle
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. drill — army training
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. band — a ring
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. drill — a practice
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. snap — to click
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. band — a music group
  17. shower — to wash
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. board — to get on
  20. shower — rain
  21. sharp — clever
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. sharp — exactly

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