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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. drill — a practice
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. drill — army training
  7. mark — a trace
  8. drill — the tool
  9. last — finally
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mark — a grade
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bore — to tire
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. scale — in music
  18. last — final

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