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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — army training
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rule — a law
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. mug — to rob
  8. row — a line
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mug — a face
  18. track — a song
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. track — a path
  21. pass — a permit
  22. mug — a cup
  23. rule — government
  24. last — finally

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