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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. ground — the earth
  3. march — the month
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. current — electric
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. drill — army training
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. current — of water
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. march — music
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. ground — a position
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. drill — the tool
  19. march — the month
  20. ground — crushed
  21. row — a line
  22. drill — a practice
  23. row — to paddle
  24. current — happening now

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