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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. last — final
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. last — to go on
  8. bulb — for light
  9. spell — magic
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. march — the month
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. march — the month
  16. game — wild animals
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. spell — a short time
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. game — a match
  21. last — finally
  22. march — music
  23. spell — letters
  24. game — a kind of play

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