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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pit — in a race
  5. season — of the year
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. file — a tool
  10. march — the month
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. file — a line of people
  13. lean — to bend
  14. pit — a hole
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — to handle
  17. file — a document
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — thin
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. season — in sport

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