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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  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. rush — hurry
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. march — music
  5. drill — army training
  6. march — the month
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. key — in music
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cold — not warm
  13. suit — in cards
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bat — the animal
  16. cold — an illness
  17. key — for a lock
  18. drill — a practice
  19. suit — clothes
  20. key — the most important part
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. suit — to fit
  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