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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. march — the month
  3. drill — army training
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. drill — a practice
  6. staff — a stick
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. pass — a permit
  9. march — the month
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. mine — for digging
  14. staff — employees
  15. sharp — clever
  16. staff — employees
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. track — to keep track
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. drill — the tool
  21. march — music
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. track — a path

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