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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bore — to drill
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bore — to tire
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. game — wild animals
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. game — a match
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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