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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. degree — an amount
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. suit — to fit
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. suit — in cards
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. lie — to recline
  13. march — the month
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. suit — clothes
  18. march — music
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. shower — rain
  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