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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.

Make a worksheet

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: march · fan · craft · clip · ruler · ground · foot · drill

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. drill — the tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. march — the month
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. clip — a video
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. foot — a measure
  11. clip — to cut
  12. drill — army training
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ground — a position
  16. drill — a practice
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. march — music
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. craft — boats
  22. clip — for paper
  23. craft — a skill
  24. ground — crushed

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