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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wound — an injury
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. chair — a leader
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. drill — army training
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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