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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. march — music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. present — the time now
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. date — the fruit
  8. rash — a series
  9. ball — a dance
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rash — hasty
  14. ground — crushed
  15. march — the month
  16. bore — to tire
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. present — there
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ball — a great time
  22. march — the month
  23. ground — a position
  24. present — a gift

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