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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · tear · drill · kick · march · straw

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. suit — in cards
  3. drill — the tool
  4. march — the month
  5. kick — in football
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. drill — army training
  11. march — the month
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. march — music
  15. drill — a practice
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — to fit

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