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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rule — government
  3. march — the month
  4. rule — a law
  5. drill — a practice
  6. object — to protest
  7. drill — the tool
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. spring — the season
  11. squash — the sport
  12. spring — a coil
  13. object — an aim
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. march — the month
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. drill — army training
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. game — a match
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. spring — of water
  24. object — a thing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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