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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bore — to tire
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bore — to drill
  16. pound — a weight
  17. march — music
  18. branch — a division
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. march — the month
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. march — the month

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