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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 got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mine — for digging
  4. staff — a stick
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. staff — employees
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. march — music
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. march — the month
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bore — to drill
  18. staff — employees
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mark — a trace
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — in football
  23. march — the month
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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