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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.

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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: bay · squash · bulb · charge · drill · rush · march · bat

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. squash — to crush
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bulb — for light
  8. march — music
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bat — the animal
  14. charge — a price
  15. drill — army training
  16. charge — electricity
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rush — hurry
  21. march — the month
  22. drill — the tool
  23. charge — in control
  24. rush — 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