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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · lash · face · rest · bat · current · land

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. march — the month
  3. rest — a break
  4. face — to confront
  5. march — the month
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. drill — the tool
  8. current — electric
  9. face — to point toward
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. face — part of the head
  12. march — music
  13. drill — army training
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. current — happening now
  20. rest — what's left
  21. current — of water
  22. land — a country
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bat — for baseball

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