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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: bore · capital · roll · march · swing · dip · bay · land

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bore — to tire
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. swing — in golf
  16. dip — to sink
  17. swing — music
  18. capital — money
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. march — the month
  24. roll — a cake

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