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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. staff — a stick
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. object — to protest
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. object — a thing
  7. wound — an injury
  8. staff — employees
  9. wound — an injury
  10. content — the amount
  11. bore — to drill
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. content — happy
  15. staff — employees
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bore — to tire
  18. shower — rain
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. march — music
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. shower — to wash
  23. march — the month
  24. object — an aim

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