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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. object — to protest
  3. drill — army training
  4. suit — clothes
  5. object — a thing
  6. march — music
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. land — to come down
  9. march — the month
  10. drill — the tool
  11. object — an aim
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. cold — not warm
  14. land — a country
  15. march — the month
  16. suit — in cards
  17. land — ground
  18. pound — a weight
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. suit — to fit
  23. cold — an illness
  24. pound — to hit hard

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