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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: rush · last · rock · drill · march · bound · fork · season

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. drill — a practice
  3. march — the month
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. season — of the year
  8. drill — army training
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bound — obliged
  11. march — music
  12. bound — certain
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. season — in sport
  16. last — finally
  17. rock — music
  18. march — the month
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. last — to go on
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bound — tied together
  23. drill — the tool
  24. last — final

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