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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — the tool
  6. key — the most important part
  7. clip — a video
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. drill — army training
  11. key — in music
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — a measure
  14. land — a country
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. land — to come down
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. land — ground
  20. key — for a lock
  21. clip — for paper
  22. lean — thin
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lean — to bend

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