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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. land — a country
  4. pit — in a race
  5. drill — army training
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pit — a hole
  9. march — the month
  10. land — to come down
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tear — from crying
  14. march — music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. land — ground
  19. drill — the tool
  20. march — the month
  21. cold — not warm
  22. fall — the season
  23. cold — an illness
  24. tear — to rip

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