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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. drill — the tool
  3. current — of water
  4. bound — certain
  5. current — happening now
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. fall — to drop
  9. current — electric
  10. wound — an injury
  11. march — the month
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bound — obliged
  15. march — the month
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bound — tied together
  18. drill — army training
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. drill — a practice
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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