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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: drill · pop · saw · present · stand · march · sharp · can

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pop — soda
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. saw — the tool
  7. march — the month
  8. present — there
  9. march — the month
  10. pop — music
  11. can — a tin
  12. pop — to visit
  13. can — to be able to
  14. saw — the tool
  15. present — the time now
  16. sharp — clever
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. march — music
  19. can — a tin
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. present — a gift
  22. drill — the tool
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. drill — a practice

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