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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. file — a document
  3. march — music
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. drill — army training
  7. march — the month
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. march — the month
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. drill — the tool
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. file — a tool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spell — magic
  23. pit — a hole
  24. coach — a trainer

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