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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rock — music
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rock — a stone
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. march — the month
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. spring — of water
  16. march — the month
  17. spring — the season
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. march — music
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. cap — a hat
  24. board — a committee

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