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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bore — to tire
  3. suit — in cards
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. spring — a coil
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. suit — to fit
  8. march — the month
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stock — shares
  12. march — music
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. suit — clothes
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. march — the month
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. stock — goods
  23. sharp — clever
  24. prune — to trim

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