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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. drill — the tool
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. rock — music
  5. drill — a practice
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. dip — to sink
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. land — ground
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. prune — to trim
  14. present — there
  15. drill — army training
  16. land — a country
  17. prune — to trim
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. rock — a stone
  20. present — a gift
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. present — the time now
  24. land — to come down

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