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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. bass — the fish
  5. mate — a friend
  6. tube — the underground
  7. march — music
  8. bass — low music
  9. season — in sport
  10. bore — to drill
  11. season — of the year
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bore — to tire
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rock — music
  18. rash — a series
  19. march — the month
  20. mate — a partner
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. rock — a stone
  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