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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. march — music
  3. bore — to drill
  4. spring — the season
  5. track — a song
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. drill — the tool
  8. season — of the year
  9. track — a path
  10. drill — a practice
  11. march — the month
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. drill — army training
  17. press — newspapers
  18. spring — of water
  19. bore — to tire
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. spring — a coil
  22. march — the month
  23. season — in sport
  24. bore — gave birth

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