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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: lie · mug · bat · drill · hide · craft · current · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mug — a cup
  3. current — electric
  4. craft — a skill
  5. current — happening now
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. march — music
  9. bat — the animal
  10. lie — to recline
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. march — the month
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. craft — boats
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — to rob
  20. current — of water
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. drill — the tool
  24. hide — animal skin

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