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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. march — music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. season — of the year
  5. staff — a stick
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. date — the fruit
  9. kid — child
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. season — in sport
  13. kid — to tease
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bass — the fish
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bass — low music
  18. staff — employees
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. staff — employees
  24. snap — to click

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