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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: spell · march · rock · kick · drill · shower · fall · snap

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. kick — in football
  4. march — the month
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — music
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. snap — to click
  9. spell — letters
  10. march — music
  11. drill — army training
  12. spell — a short time
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. march — the month
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. drill — the tool
  22. spell — magic
  23. rock — a stone
  24. fall — to drop

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