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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. march — music
  4. mug — a face
  5. pit — in a race
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bore — to tire
  10. mug — a cup
  11. march — the month
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stock — shares
  14. rush — hurry
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. march — the month
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bore — to drill
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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