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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bore — to drill
  4. net — in sport
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. track — a path
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. mine — for digging
  10. content — the amount
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. march — the month
  14. net — for catching
  15. track — a song
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. content — happy
  20. bark — to shout
  21. march — music
  22. net — after costs
  23. bore — to tire
  24. foot — a measure

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