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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. march — the month
  4. bore — to drill
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pit — a hole
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bore — to tire
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. spring — the season
  17. bound — obliged
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. march — the month
  22. spring — of water
  23. pit — in a race
  24. saw — the tool

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