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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — a practice
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. mug — to rob
  8. drill — the tool
  9. field — for sport
  10. march — the month
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fork — in a road
  14. field — a subject
  15. march — music
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. march — the month
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mug — a face
  20. sharp — clever
  21. field — farmland
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mug — a cup

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