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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. march — the month
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. current — of water
  6. bore — to tire
  7. club — for golf
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. ball — a dance
  16. march — the month
  17. pit — a hole
  18. cell — in biology
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. club — a group
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — electric
  24. march — music

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