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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.

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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: foot · deal · shower · leaves · march · coach · pitcher · drill

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. march — the month
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. drill — a practice
  10. deal — to handle
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. drill — the tool
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — a measure
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. drill — army training
  23. march — the month
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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