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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — there
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. shower — rain
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. march — music
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. march — the month
  13. shower — to wash
  14. present — a gift
  15. march — the month
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. tube — a container

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