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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. march — the month
  5. bore — to drill
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. fall — to drop
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. season — of the year
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. fall — to drop
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bore — to tire
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. march — music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. season — in sport
  24. fall — the season

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