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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. drill — army training
  4. mug — a face
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. march — the month
  7. fork — in a road
  8. last — finally
  9. mug — a cup
  10. last — to go on
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pitch — completely
  13. mug — to rob
  14. saw — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. last — final
  20. saw — the tool
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wound — an injury

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