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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. tear — from crying
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. shower — rain
  6. pass — a permit
  7. scale — size or range
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. tear — to rip
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. march — music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. shower — to wash
  15. scale — in music
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. drill — army training
  19. march — the month
  20. snap — to click
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. drill — a practice
  23. tear — from crying
  24. march — the month

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