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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. march — the month
  4. drill — the tool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. rest — a break
  8. drill — a practice
  9. firm — a company
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pass — a permit
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — decided
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. drill — army training
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rest — what's left

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