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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. fall — to drop
  5. key — in music
  6. stand — to bear
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mine — for digging
  11. key — the most important part
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. key — for a lock
  14. drill — a practice
  15. tear — from crying
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fall — the season
  18. drill — army training
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. tear — to rip
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. perch — the fish
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. tear — from crying

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