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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. foot — a measure
  3. mate — to breed
  4. march — the month
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. march — music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bore — to drill
  14. tear — to rip
  15. mark — a grade
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mate — a partner
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mark — a trace
  22. march — the month
  23. game — wild animals
  24. fan — to cool the air

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