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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pass — a permit
  4. board — a committee
  5. bore — to drill
  6. file — a document
  7. bore — to tire
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. cell — a phone
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. march — music
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. march — the month
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. file — a line of people
  19. board — to get on
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. march — the month
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. file — a tool

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