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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · march · fork · lie · hide · bat

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. drill — army training
  3. bat — the animal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. drill — a practice
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. march — the month
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. drill — the tool

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