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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. drill — army training
  6. spring — a coil
  7. kick — in football
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. spring — of water
  10. march — the month
  11. net — after costs
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. spell — letters
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. spring — the season
  16. net — for catching
  17. fork — in a road
  18. rock — music
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. spell — a short time
  21. net — in sport
  22. rock — a stone
  23. march — the month
  24. spell — magic

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