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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. row — a line
  3. track — a song
  4. drill — army training
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. drill — the tool
  7. row — to paddle
  8. drill — a practice
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. club — a group
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. march — music
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — a law
  18. march — the month
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rule — government
  21. club — for golf
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  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