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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — the tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. content — the amount
  5. suit — in cards
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. content — happy
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. suit — to fit
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. field — for sport
  13. lean — thin
  14. march — the month
  15. suit — clothes
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. march — music
  19. drill — a practice
  20. field — a subject
  21. march — the month
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. field — farmland
  24. coach — a trainer

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