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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. spell — magic
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. drill — army training
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. last — final
  8. drill — the tool
  9. march — the month
  10. drill — a practice
  11. last — to go on
  12. band — a ring
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bore — to drill
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. march — music
  18. bore — to tire
  19. march — the month
  20. cue — a hint
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. band — a music group

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