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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chair — a leader
  3. march — the month
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. net — in sport
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. spell — letters
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. row — to paddle
  14. net — for catching
  15. row — a line
  16. prune — to trim
  17. net — after costs
  18. spell — magic
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. spell — a short time
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. march — music

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