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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. march — the month
  4. suit — in cards
  5. drill — a practice
  6. kick — in football
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. drill — army training
  13. saw — the tool
  14. band — a music group
  15. march — music
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. march — the month
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. band — a ring
  20. suit — clothes
  21. mate — a partner
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. drill — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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