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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. march — the month
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. march — the month
  6. bore — to tire
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spell — letters
  9. rest — what's left
  10. board — to get on
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. march — music
  15. rest — a break
  16. bore — to drill
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cold — an illness
  19. board — a committee
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spell — magic
  24. arm — a part of something

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