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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 116 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. march — the month
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. drill — army training
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. land — ground
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. march — the month
  11. plane — a tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. staff — employees
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. march — music
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. land — to come down
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. staff — employees
  20. rock — music
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. rock — a stone
  23. staff — a stick
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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