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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: march · mouse · drill · plane · rule · pit · face · toast

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. march — the month
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rule — a law
  5. drill — army training
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pit — a hole
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pit — in a race
  19. drill — the tool
  20. rule — government
  21. toast — bread
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. face — part of the head

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