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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. march — music
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. drill — army training
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bore — to drill
  9. march — the month
  10. bore — to tire
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. march — the month
  14. drill — a practice
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. content — the amount
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. pound — a weight
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. content — happy

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