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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. march — the month
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. hand — help
  6. swing — music
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. chair — a leader
  9. swing — in golf
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bore — to drill
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. present — there
  15. field — farmland
  16. bore — to tire
  17. present — a gift
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. march — the month
  23. present — the time now
  24. march — music

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