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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 120 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. march — the month
  4. present — a gift
  5. content — the amount
  6. file — a line of people
  7. content — happy
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. march — music
  11. present — there
  12. file — a tool
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. band — a music group
  16. scale — size or range
  17. march — the month
  18. file — a document
  19. bore — to tire
  20. present — the time now
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a ring
  23. scale — in music
  24. bulb — for light

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