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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. sharp — clever
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fork — in a road
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mate — a partner
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bulb — for light
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. march — the month
  19. lie — to recline
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bulb — for light
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bore — to drill

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