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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bore — to drill
  3. march — music
  4. track — a song
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bound — tied together
  8. track — to keep track
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bound — certain
  12. degree — from a university
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. bound — obliged
  17. degree — an amount
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — to tire
  21. degree — temperature
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. march — the month

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