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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. club — a group
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. foot — a measure
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. march — the month
  12. rock — a stone
  13. club — for golf
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. club — for dancing
  17. march — music
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. march — the month
  24. fork — in a road

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