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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rock — music
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. drill — a practice
  6. fall — the season
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. march — the month
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. charge — a price
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — a trace
  13. charge — electricity
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — a stone
  21. drill — army training
  22. charge — in control
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. hide — animal 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