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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 124 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. season — of the year
  6. object — an aim
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. object — to protest
  9. ground — a position
  10. march — the month
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. rash — a series
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. ground — the earth
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. season — in sport
  17. object — a thing
  18. ground — crushed
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bore — to drill
  21. march — music
  22. bore — to tire
  23. march — the month
  24. rash — hasty

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