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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. drill — army training
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. field — for sport
  5. drill — a practice
  6. band — a music group
  7. last — final
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. firm — decided
  10. band — a ring
  11. firm — a company
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — a tool
  14. drill — the tool
  15. tube — a container
  16. field — farmland
  17. pop — soda
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. last — finally
  20. field — a subject
  21. firm — steady
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — music
  24. tube — the underground

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