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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bear — the animal
  5. scale — in music
  6. last — final
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bear — the animal
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bore — to tire
  17. scale — size or range
  18. last — to go on

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