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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. march — the month
  5. bore — to drill
  6. ground — the earth
  7. march — music
  8. track — a path
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. rash — a series
  12. vault — a safe
  13. track — a song
  14. ground — crushed
  15. track — to keep track
  16. ground — a position
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bore — to tire
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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