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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. last — to go on
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. land — ground
  7. court — of law
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bore — to tire
  10. court — for sport
  11. march — the month
  12. spell — magic
  13. march — the month
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. last — final
  16. last — finally
  17. spell — letters
  18. bore — to drill
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. court — of a king
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. land — a country
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. land — to come down

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