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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. drill — the tool
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. cue — for pool
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cue — a signal
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. march — the month
  9. plane — a tool
  10. can — a tin
  11. drill — a practice
  12. march — the month
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. can — to be able to
  15. tear — to rip
  16. roll — a list
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cue — a hint
  19. roll — a cake
  20. dip — to sink
  21. drill — army training
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. march — music
  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