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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. march — the month
  3. bore — to tire
  4. craft — a skill
  5. spring — the season
  6. court — of a king
  7. mate — a partner
  8. craft — boats
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. mate — a friend
  11. court — for sport
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. roll — a list
  16. mate — to breed
  17. court — of law
  18. march — music
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. march — the month
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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