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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. mine — for digging
  3. march — the month
  4. object — an aim
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. march — music
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. present — there
  9. object — to protest
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. charge — in control
  12. object — a thing
  13. charge — a price
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. present — a gift
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. march — the month
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bore — to drill

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