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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. drill — a practice
  4. toast — bread
  5. court — of a king
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. drill — army training
  9. march — music
  10. court — of law
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. season — of the year
  15. court — for sport
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. season — in sport
  19. march — the month
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cell — a phone
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. snap — to click
  24. march — the month

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