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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: last · rash · wake · content · march · drill · firm · rush

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. march — music
  6. last — to go on
  7. wake — a trail
  8. firm — a company
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. content — happy
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. march — the month
  15. rash — a series
  16. march — the month
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. firm — steady
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. firm — decided
  23. content — the amount
  24. drill — the tool

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