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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 124 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. spring — the season
  3. mug — a face
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. toast — bread
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. mug — a cup
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — humankind
  12. row — a line
  13. race — the arms race
  14. row — to paddle
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. spring — a coil
  17. drill — a practice
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. spring — of water
  20. fine — high quality
  21. mug — to rob
  22. fine — all right
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. drill — the tool

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