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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. firm — a company
  3. last — final
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. land — a country
  8. fine — high quality
  9. last — finally
  10. drill — the tool
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. firm — steady
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. drill — a practice
  16. last — to go on
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. firm — decided
  22. bore — to drill
  23. fine — all right
  24. drill — army training

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