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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rash — a series
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. drill — the tool
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. drill — a practice
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. tear — from crying
  15. dip — to sink
  16. rash — hasty
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. tear — to rip
  21. drill — army training
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. straw — dry grass

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