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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. march — music
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bore — to drill
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. court — of a king
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. snap — to click
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. court — of law
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. march — the month
  19. rush — hurry
  20. court — for sport
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. march — the month
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. wind — to turn a key

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