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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. land — a country
  3. rock — music
  4. land — ground
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bound — certain
  7. net — for catching
  8. land — to come down
  9. bore — to tire
  10. march — the month
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bound — tied together
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. net — in sport
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fine — all right
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bound — obliged
  22. net — after costs
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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