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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. season — of the year
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. land — a country
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bore — to drill
  12. sharp — clever
  13. land — ground
  14. season — in sport
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bore — to tire
  17. land — to come down
  18. march — the month

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