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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bat — the animal
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bore — to drill
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. scale — size or range
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. spring — a coil
  10. club — for dancing
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. march — the month
  14. bore — to tire
  15. march — the month
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. club — for golf
  19. march — music
  20. scale — in music
  21. spring — of water
  22. club — a group
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bore — gave birth

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