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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. court — of a king
  3. tube — the underground
  4. row — to paddle
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bore — to tire
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. tube — a container
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. season — in sport
  15. court — of law
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. court — for sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bore — to drill

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