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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. drill — the tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. kid — to tease
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. capital — money
  11. fine — high quality
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. tear — to rip
  16. kid — child
  17. fine — all right
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. capital — a city
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. drill — a practice

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