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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. drill — army training
  3. cue — a signal
  4. field — farmland
  5. drill — the tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. last — final
  8. cue — for pool
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rash — hasty
  11. last — finally
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. field — a subject
  14. cue — a hint
  15. track — a song
  16. field — for sport
  17. plane — a tool
  18. rash — a series
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. track — a path
  22. drill — a practice
  23. chip — for betting
  24. rash — on the skin

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