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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. land — to come down
  3. bound — certain
  4. march — music
  5. bound — tied together
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. drill — army training
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. vault — a safe
  10. drill — the tool
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. row — a line
  13. rash — hasty
  14. land — a country
  15. march — the month
  16. row — to paddle
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. land — ground
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bound — obliged
  22. march — the month
  23. rash — a series
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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