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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: perch · cap · plane · lie · last · march · track · drill

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. drill — army training
  3. cap — a hat
  4. drill — a practice
  5. last — final
  6. cap — a lid
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. plane — a tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. cap — of ice
  12. last — finally
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. track — to keep track
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. last — to go on
  21. drill — the tool
  22. track — a path
  23. perch — the fish
  24. lie — an untruth

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