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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 116 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. march — music
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bore — to drill
  6. current — electric
  7. march — the month
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pitch — completely
  10. saw — the tool
  11. current — of water
  12. saw — the tool
  13. march — the month
  14. spell — magic
  15. rock — a stone
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spell — letters
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. current — happening now
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spring — of water
  22. rock — music
  23. spring — the season
  24. pitch — a sports field

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