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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. march — the month
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. pop — soda
  6. squash — the sport
  7. deal — to handle
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. row — a line
  10. spring — a coil
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. spring — of water
  14. march — music
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pop — music
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. spring — the season
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bore — to tire
  22. row — to paddle
  23. squash — to crush
  24. march — the month

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