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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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 — army training
  2. scale — size or range
  3. sharp — clever
  4. tear — to rip
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. firm — decided
  8. tear — from crying
  9. drill — a practice
  10. scale — in music
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. drill — the tool
  13. firm — a company
  14. craft — boats
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. craft — a skill
  17. tear — from crying
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. firm — steady
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. mine — for digging
  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