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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bore — to drill
  3. file — a document
  4. march — music
  5. content — the amount
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. file — a tool
  9. rest — a break
  10. march — the month
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bore — to tire
  14. land — ground
  15. content — happy
  16. file — a line of people
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — bread
  19. land — a country
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. rest — what's left
  22. march — the month
  23. wake — a trail
  24. content — videos and posts

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