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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. pit — a hole
  6. march — the month
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. mark — a trace
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bore — to tire
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pit — in a race
  13. staff — employees
  14. march — the month
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. content — happy
  18. shower — rain
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. staff — employees
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mark — a grade
  24. ruler — for measuring

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