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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. charge — in control
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. march — the month
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. present — the time now
  7. march — the month
  8. bark — to shout
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. march — music
  12. charge — electricity
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. field — farmland
  17. charge — a price
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bore — to tire
  20. present — there
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. pass — a permit

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