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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. date — the fruit
  3. present — there
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. scale — size or range
  8. pitch — completely
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. scale — in music
  13. present — the time now
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. present — a gift
  24. drill — the tool

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