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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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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: wound · foot · rest · drill · march · track · stick · last

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. last — finally
  4. wound — an injury
  5. march — the month
  6. foot — a measure
  7. last — final
  8. drill — army training
  9. last — to go on
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. march — music
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rest — a break
  15. march — the month
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. track — a path
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rest — what's left
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. track — a song
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. track — to keep track

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