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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. drill — army training
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. land — a country
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. drill — the tool
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. roll — a cake
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. fall — the season
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. land — to come down
  20. lean — to bend
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pass — a permit
  23. drill — a practice
  24. land — ground

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