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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 120 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: tear · drill · squash · court · last · mug · present · rush

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. rush — hurry
  3. present — the time now
  4. mug — a face
  5. court — of law
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. present — there
  8. mug — to rob
  9. tear — from crying
  10. squash — the sport
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. drill — a practice
  14. court — of a king
  15. tear — from crying
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mug — a cup
  18. drill — the tool
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. present — a gift
  21. court — for sport
  22. last — to go on
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. drill — army training

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