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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bore — to drill
  8. game — a match
  9. march — the month
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bore — to tire
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mark — a trace
  18. rest — what's left
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. march — music
  21. dip — to sink
  22. rest — a break
  23. game — wild animals
  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