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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. spell — letters
  5. march — music
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. march — the month
  9. spell — magic
  10. drill — a practice
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. chest — of your body
  13. can — a tin
  14. march — the month
  15. vault — a safe
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. chest — of your body
  19. can — to be able to
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. spell — a short time
  22. rest — a break
  23. can — a tin
  24. chest — a box

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