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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. present — the time now
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rule — government
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. march — music
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wax — to grow
  18. drill — army training
  19. rule — a law
  20. present — a gift
  21. fall — to drop
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fall — to drop
  24. present — there

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