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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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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bore — to tire
  4. march — music
  5. bore — to drill
  6. march — the month
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. key — for a lock
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. net — for catching
  17. bat — the animal
  18. key — in music
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. net — in sport
  21. tube — a container
  22. march — the month
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. net — after costs

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