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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 120 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. cap — a hat
  3. march — the month
  4. game — a match
  5. rest — a break
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. craft — a skill
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. cap — of ice
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rest — what's left
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cap — a lid
  17. craft — boats
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. drill — the tool
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. craft — a handicraft

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