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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 116 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. march — the month
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bore — to drill
  8. kid — child
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bat — the animal
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. ruler — for measuring

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