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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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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: game · wind · pit · drill · squash · firm · lie · tear

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. drill — army training
  3. lie — to recline
  4. firm — decided
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. drill — a practice
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — to crush
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. tear — to rip
  14. firm — a company
  15. tear — from crying
  16. game — a match
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. squash — the sport
  20. drill — the tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. firm — steady
  23. pit — a hole
  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