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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. staff — employees
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. march — the month
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fall — the season
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. march — the month
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — army training
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. drill — the tool
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. staff — a stick
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. staff — employees

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