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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. firm — a company
  3. march — music
  4. snap — to click
  5. firm — steady
  6. march — the month
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. last — final
  10. march — the month
  11. firm — decided
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. season — of the year
  14. last — finally
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. last — to go on
  18. plane — a tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. bowl — a dish

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