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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: rash · chair · key · plane · hide · pound · drill · march

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. key — in music
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. march — the month
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. march — music
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. drill — a practice
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. plane — a tool
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pound — a weight
  18. march — the month
  19. chair — a leader
  20. key — for a lock
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rash — hasty
  23. key — the most important part
  24. drill — army training

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