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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 120 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. chip — to eat
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bore — to tire
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. swing — music
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. swing — in golf
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bore — to drill
  16. march — the month
  17. fork — in a road
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. chip — for betting
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. file — a tool
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. file — a document

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