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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bore — to tire
  4. spring — of water
  5. drill — a practice
  6. march — the month
  7. bore — to drill
  8. drill — army training
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. march — the month
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. file — a tool
  15. spring — the season
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. spring — a coil
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pound — a weight
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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