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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. lie — to recline
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rash — a series
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. present — the time now
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pop — to visit
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pop — soda
  12. present — a gift
  13. march — music
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. present — there
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. rash — hasty
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. nail — for a hammer

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