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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. drill — army training
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. drill — the tool
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. squash — to crush
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — the fruit
  13. march — the month
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. fall — to drop
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rush — hurry
  19. march — music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. drill — a practice
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. march — the month

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