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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 116 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pop — to visit
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — to drill
  8. fork — in a road
  9. march — the month
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. march — music
  12. row — a line
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. pop — music
  16. stand — to bear
  17. pop — soda
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. march — the month
  24. fork — a garden tool

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