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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mug — a face
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cap — a lid
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. swing — in golf
  8. mate — a friend
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cap — a hat
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mate — to breed
  14. march — the month
  15. lean — thin
  16. swing — music
  17. mate — a partner
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bore — to tire
  20. cap — of ice
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. lean — to bend
  23. mug — a cup
  24. march — music

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