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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. drill — the tool
  3. roll — a cake
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. drill — a practice
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. march — the month
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lean — to bend
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mark — a grade
  17. march — music
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. drill — army training
  20. march — the month
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lean — thin
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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