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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mug — a cup
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. club — a group
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mug — a face
  12. bore — to tire
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. march — the month
  15. wound — an injury
  16. march — the month
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. dip — to sink
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. club — for golf
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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