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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. drill — the tool
  3. fall — the season
  4. net — in sport
  5. dip — to sink
  6. march — music
  7. present — the time now
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. pop — soda
  11. net — for catching
  12. fall — to drop
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. present — there
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pop — to visit
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. drill — army training
  20. net — after costs
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pop — music

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