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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 120 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. row — a line
  3. march — the month
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. drill — the tool
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. row — to paddle
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. mug — a face
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. capital — money
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mug — to rob
  16. march — music
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. march — the month
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mug — a cup
  21. drill — a practice
  22. can — a tin
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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