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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. drill — the tool
  3. band — a ring
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. drill — army training
  9. bank — for money
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. march — music
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bank — of a river
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. march — the month
  18. pass — a permit
  19. march — the month
  20. band — a music group
  21. bank — for money
  22. roll — a cake
  23. drill — a practice
  24. roll — a list

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