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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. present — the time now
  4. root — the cause
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. present — there
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pop — to visit
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pop — music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pop — soda
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. root — of a word
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bore — to tire
  20. root — of a plant
  21. present — a gift
  22. march — music
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — to pay attention

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