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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bear — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rash — hasty
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bore — to tire
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rash — a series
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. track — a path
  21. march — the month
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. game — a match
  24. march — music

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