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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bore — to drill
  4. rule — a law
  5. band — a music group
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — a contest
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mate — a partner
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. mate — to breed
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. march — the month
  17. rule — government
  18. march — music
  19. race — humankind
  20. bat — the animal
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. mate — a friend
  24. foot — a measure

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