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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. drill — a practice
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. march — the month
  5. rock — music
  6. content — the amount
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. swing — to play on
  12. march — the month
  13. swing — music
  14. content — happy
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. last — final
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rock — a stone
  20. swing — in golf
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. march — music
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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