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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. march — the month
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. face — to confront
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bound — certain
  11. rash — a series
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. march — music
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bore — to drill
  17. face — to point toward
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bat — the animal
  20. march — the month
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bound — obliged

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