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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. lean — thin
  5. march — the month
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fine — high quality
  8. drill — a practice
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. march — the month
  11. last — final
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. last — to go on
  17. drill — army training
  18. lean — to bend
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. drill — the tool
  22. last — finally
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bear — the animal

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