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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. last — final
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. last — to go on
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. last — finally
  10. tube — a container
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. present — a gift
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. present — the time now
  20. tube — the underground
  21. date — the fruit
  22. bore — to drill
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. present — there

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