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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wake — a trail
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bore — to drill
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. march — the month
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. row — to paddle
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bat — for baseball

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