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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. march — the month
  4. drill — army training
  5. content — happy
  6. drill — the tool
  7. content — the amount
  8. march — the month
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mug — a face
  14. scale — in music
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. drill — a practice
  17. scale — size or range
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wake — a trail
  24. scale — for weighing

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