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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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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 · mouse · drill · kid · mate · wake · safe · last

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. wake — a trail
  3. tear — from crying
  4. last — to go on
  5. kid — to tease
  6. last — final
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. last — finally
  11. tear — to rip
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. drill — a practice
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mate — a friend
  23. kid — child
  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