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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. march — the month
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. last — finally
  8. bore — to tire
  9. march — the month
  10. last — final
  11. bore — to drill
  12. current — electric
  13. last — to go on
  14. shower — rain
  15. march — music
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pass — a permit
  18. fall — the season
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pitch — completely
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. fall — to drop

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