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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. track — to keep track
  3. saw — the tool
  4. march — the month
  5. chip — for betting
  6. drill — army training
  7. net — for catching
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. net — after costs
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. track — a path
  19. net — in sport
  20. drill — a practice
  21. track — a song
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. leaves — lets stay

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