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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. charge — a price
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. march — the month
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bore — to drill
  9. squash — the sport
  10. charge — in control
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. spell — magic
  13. bore — to tire
  14. squash — to crush
  15. date — the fruit
  16. craft — a skill
  17. charge — electricity
  18. march — the month
  19. spell — letters
  20. craft — boats
  21. pound — a weight
  22. spell — a short time
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. squash — the vegetable

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