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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. staff — a stick
  3. last — finally
  4. tear — from crying
  5. spell — letters
  6. staff — employees
  7. press — to push
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pitch — completely
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. press — newspapers
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. drill — a practice
  17. spell — magic
  18. tear — to rip
  19. last — final
  20. staff — employees
  21. press — a publisher
  22. spell — a short time
  23. drill — army training
  24. last — to go on

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