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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. march — music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pass — a permit
  12. file — a tool
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bound — obliged
  17. clip — a video
  18. bore — to drill
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. march — the month
  24. bore — to tire

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