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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. march — the month
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mug — a face
  9. march — the month
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pound — a weight
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cell — a phone
  18. land — a country
  19. date — the fruit
  20. drill — army training
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. march — music

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