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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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Word bank
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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: drill · tear · last · kick · suit · game · wound · land

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. tear — from crying
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — clothes
  5. wound — an injury
  6. tear — to rip
  7. drill — the tool
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. suit — to fit
  10. drill — army training
  11. last — final
  12. tear — from crying
  13. drill — a practice
  14. land — a country
  15. game — wild animals
  16. kick — in football
  17. last — finally
  18. land — ground
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. wound — an injury
  21. land — to come down
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. game — a match

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