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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. track — a song
  6. bore — to drill
  7. march — music
  8. ball — a dance
  9. toast — bread
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. track — a path
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hand — help
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. hand — in cards

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