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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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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: ruler · drill · mark · march · fine · bat · lean · land

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. land — ground
  3. march — the month
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bat — the animal
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. lean — thin
  9. land — a country
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mark — a grade
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. fine — all right
  15. march — the month
  16. fine — high quality
  17. mark — a trace
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. land — to come down
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. drill — a practice
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. drill — army training
  24. march — music

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