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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. club — for golf
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. march — the month
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. rash — a series
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pit — a hole
  20. spring — the season
  21. club — a group
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wind — to turn a key

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