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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. toast — bread
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. date — the fruit
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. fork — in a road
  18. ground — the earth
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. march — music
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ground — a position

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