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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bore — to drill
  9. root — the cause
  10. march — the month
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. march — music
  15. squash — the sport
  16. foot — a measure
  17. pit — a hole
  18. root — of a word
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. pit — in a race
  21. march — the month
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. root — of a plant

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