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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: drill · mate · march · face · rule · wind · fine · fan

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. mate — a friend
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. face — part of the head
  6. march — the month
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — to confront
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fine — all right
  14. mate — a partner
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mate — to breed
  17. drill — army training
  18. rule — government
  19. drill — the tool
  20. march — the month
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. rule — a law
  24. fine — high quality

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