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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. present — a gift
  7. rock — a stone
  8. present — there
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. present — the time now
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bore — to drill
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. staff — employees
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rock — music
  19. march — the month
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wound — an injury
  24. perch — the fish

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