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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rest — what's left
  4. suit — in cards
  5. march — the month
  6. fork — in a road
  7. wound — an injury
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. march — the month
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rest — a break
  17. suit — clothes
  18. rest — what's left
  19. suit — to fit
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. march — music
  23. shower — rain
  24. hand — help

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