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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: straw · can · drill · kid · board · march · leaves · chair

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. drill — the tool
  4. chair — a leader
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. drill — a practice
  7. march — the month
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. can — a tin
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. kid — to tease
  16. board — to get on
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. march — music
  19. can — a tin
  20. drill — army training
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. board — a committee
  23. march — the month
  24. kid — child

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