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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. root — of a word
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. march — the month
  8. bore — to tire
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. game — wild animals
  11. prune — to trim
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bound — tied together
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. game — a match
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bat — the animal
  23. root — the cause
  24. temple — side of the head

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