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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. march — the month
  3. land — ground
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. drill — a practice
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. rock — music
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. drill — army training
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. march — music
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. land — a country
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. march — the month
  20. drill — the tool
  21. land — to come down
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. track — a path

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