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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cell — in biology
  4. current — happening now
  5. tear — to rip
  6. track — to keep track
  7. current — electric
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cell — a phone
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. track — a song
  14. court — of a king
  15. drill — army training
  16. current — of water
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. track — a path
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. tear — from crying

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