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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. last — final
  3. spell — magic
  4. current — electric
  5. bound — certain
  6. bore — to tire
  7. current — of water
  8. bound — obliged
  9. drill — army training
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. current — happening now
  12. spell — letters
  13. drill — the tool
  14. last — finally
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bound — tied together
  17. last — to go on
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bore — to drill
  21. craft — boats
  22. spell — a short time
  23. drill — a practice
  24. ball — a dance

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