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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. drill — the tool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. march — music
  5. drill — army training
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. roll — a list
  8. rash — hasty
  9. chair — a leader
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. roll — a cake
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. march — the month
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. march — the month
  24. drill — a practice

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