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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. chip — to eat
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. drill — a practice
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — rain
  8. chip — for betting
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. last — finally
  11. face — part of the head
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. wound — an injury
  14. shower — to wash
  15. face — to point toward
  16. drill — the tool
  17. last — final
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. last — to go on
  20. wound — an injury
  21. face — to confront
  22. track — to keep track
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — a place of worship

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