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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 116 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. present — the time now
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. row — a line
  6. spell — magic
  7. lean — to bend
  8. plane — a tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. present — there
  11. drill — army training
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. present — a gift
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. lie — to recline
  19. drill — the tool
  20. lean — thin
  21. row — to paddle
  22. march — music
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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