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

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. drill — a practice
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mug — a face
  6. present — a gift
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. rock — a stone
  11. present — the time now
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. march — music
  14. present — there
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. march — the month
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. march — the month
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rock — music

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