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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. march — music
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. branch — a division
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. march — the month
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — to tease
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — a thing
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. kid — child
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. drill — army training
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. march — the month
  24. branch — of a tree

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