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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. march — the month
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. firm — a company
  6. march — music
  7. firm — steady
  8. march — the month
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pound — a weight
  12. firm — decided
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. hand — help
  15. bore — to tire
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bore — to drill
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. fan — a supporter

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