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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: racket · last · chest · bore · cap · march · fine · stick

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. march — the month
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — all right
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bore — to drill
  6. chest — of your body
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. march — music
  10. bore — to tire
  11. cap — a hat
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. last — final
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fine — high quality
  19. chest — a box
  20. cap — of ice
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cap — a lid
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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