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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. track — to keep track
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. march — the month
  6. toast — bread
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. wound — an injury
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bore — to drill
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. march — the month
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. march — music
  21. saw — the tool
  22. track — a path
  23. bore — to tire
  24. track — a song

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