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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. drill — army training
  4. ground — a position
  5. drill — a practice
  6. band — a ring
  7. drill — the tool
  8. can — a tin
  9. squash — to crush
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. band — a music group
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. can — a tin
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ground — the earth
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. can — to be able to
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. ground — crushed
  24. tear — to rip

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