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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 ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pitch — completely
  4. land — a country
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. spell — magic
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pit — a hole
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. spell — letters
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bore — to tire
  23. branch — a division
  24. march — the month

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