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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. rock — music
  4. last — to go on
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — a face
  10. bore — to drill
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. saw — the tool
  15. degree — an amount
  16. last — final
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mug — to rob
  20. degree — temperature
  21. last — finally
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. rock — a stone

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