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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rest — what's left
  7. drill — the tool
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. staff — employees
  15. snap — to click
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. march — the month
  22. drill — a practice
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mouse — the animal

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