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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rash — a series
  7. bulb — for light
  8. drill — army training
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. lie — to recline
  14. march — the month
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mine — for digging
  19. hand — in cards
  20. drill — the tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. hand — help
  24. rash — on the skin

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