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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. present — the time now
  7. rule — a law
  8. bore — to tire
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. present — a gift
  14. fork — in a road
  15. march — the month
  16. court — of a king
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. land — a country
  19. rule — government
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. present — there
  24. rule — to rule out

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