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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
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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: shower · pop · saw · roll · mine · chair · drill · march

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. march — the month
  5. pop — to visit
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. saw — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. march — the month
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. shower — rain
  13. mine — for digging
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — music
  19. drill — army training
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — a list
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chair — a leader
  24. shower — to wash

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