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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. march — music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. pound — a weight
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. swing — in golf
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. bore — to drill
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. present — a gift
  20. bore — to tire
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. march — the month
  23. kick — in football
  24. swing — 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