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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · land · spell · march · jam · chair · rash · bore

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. land — to come down
  3. chair — a leader
  4. spell — letters
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. land — ground
  9. land — a country
  10. spell — a short time
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bore — to tire
  14. march — the month
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. march — the month
  19. rash — hasty
  20. march — music
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. spell — magic
  23. rash — a series
  24. bore — gave birth

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