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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pit — a hole
  5. march — music
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. land — to come down
  8. march — the month
  9. rash — a series
  10. land — a country
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. root — of a word
  14. mark — a trace
  15. root — of a plant
  16. march — the month
  17. root — the cause
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. drill — army training
  21. pit — in a race
  22. drill — the tool
  23. land — ground
  24. drill — a practice

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