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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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 — the tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bound — tied together
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. last — to go on
  8. drill — a practice
  9. saw — the tool
  10. last — finally
  11. ground — a position
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bound — certain
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. saw — the tool
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. drill — army training
  21. bound — obliged
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. ground — the earth
  24. last — final

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