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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. march — the month
  3. drill — a practice
  4. fall — to drop
  5. march — music
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. board — a committee
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. board — to get on
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. march — the month
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. fall — to drop
  17. drill — army training
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — money
  22. drill — the tool
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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