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

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. march — music
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. shower — to wash
  6. track — a song
  7. march — the month
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. drill — army training
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. march — the month
  13. cell — a phone
  14. tube — the underground
  15. track — a path
  16. drill — a practice
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. drill — the tool
  21. shower — rain
  22. cell — in biology
  23. kick — in football
  24. cell — in a prison

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