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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. toast — bread
  3. march — music
  4. bore — to drill
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. mark — a trace
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. land — ground
  10. net — in sport
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. land — to come down
  15. bore — to tire
  16. net — for catching
  17. mark — a grade
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. march — the month
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. net — after costs
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. march — the month

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