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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. march — music
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. tear — from crying
  6. march — the month
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. drill — a practice
  14. march — the month
  15. mark — a grade
  16. drill — army training
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. land — a country
  19. mark — a trace
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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