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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. drill — the tool
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — army training
  6. season — of the year
  7. march — the month
  8. fall — the season
  9. season — in sport
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rush — hurry
  19. drill — a practice
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. kid — to tease
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rush — to hurry

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