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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 120 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. march — music
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. march — the month
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rock — a stone
  13. net — for catching
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rock — music
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. march — the month
  21. bore — to tire
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. ball — a dance

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