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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. last — final
  3. season — of the year
  4. last — to go on
  5. kick — in football
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mark — a grade
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. ball — a dance
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bore — to tire
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mark — a trace
  18. band — a ring
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. band — a music group
  21. season — in sport
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. last — finally

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