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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 116 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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. march — the month
  3. field — farmland
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bore — to drill
  8. chip — for betting
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. capital — a city
  11. field — for sport
  12. bore — to tire
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. tear — to rip
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. tear — from crying
  19. march — music
  20. capital — money
  21. field — a subject
  22. tear — from crying
  23. march — the month
  24. chip — to eat

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