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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 120 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 ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. march — the month
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. root — the cause
  6. squash — the sport
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bound — tied together
  9. charge — electricity
  10. march — the month
  11. charge — a price
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bound — certain
  14. charge — in control
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. land — ground
  17. bound — obliged
  18. squash — to crush
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — to tire
  23. march — music
  24. tear — from crying

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