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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. drill — army training
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. squash — to crush
  5. drill — the tool
  6. content — happy
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. march — music
  9. court — of law
  10. march — the month
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. content — the amount
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to click
  18. court — of a king
  19. march — the month
  20. drill — a practice
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. court — for sport
  24. content — videos and posts

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