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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rock — a stone
  3. club — for dancing
  4. field — a subject
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. club — a group
  8. march — the month
  9. field — farmland
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. march — music
  12. current — electric
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bore — to tire
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rock — music
  17. current — happening now
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to drill
  20. lie — to recline
  21. club — for golf
  22. field — for sport
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. current — of water

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