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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · squash · land · chair · rock · march · nail · bore

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. march — music
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. march — the month
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. land — a country
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. land — ground
  9. bore — to tire
  10. rock — music
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. swing — music
  13. march — the month
  14. chair — a leader
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. swing — to play on
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. rock — a stone
  19. land — to come down
  20. squash — to crush
  21. swing — in golf
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. squash — the sport
  24. rock — to move gently

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