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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bore — to tire
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rock — a stone
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. march — the month
  12. wound — an injury
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bore — to drill
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. kick — in football
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. rock — music
  24. cabinet — ministers

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