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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — to drill
  3. march — the month
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. rush — hurry
  9. court — for sport
  10. hand — help
  11. court — of a king
  12. hand — in cards
  13. march — music
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. deal — to handle
  17. march — the month
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. court — of law
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. patient — a sick person

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