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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cap · kick · lean · march · bulb · rash · drill · chair

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. drill — army training
  3. lean — thin
  4. bulb — for light
  5. kick — in football
  6. rash — hasty
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. drill — the tool
  13. lean — to bend
  14. march — the month
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cap — of ice
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. drill — a practice
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. kick — a thrill

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