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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bore — to drill
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. land — a country
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rest — what's left
  9. land — ground
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. last — finally
  13. rest — what's left
  14. land — to come down
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. last — final
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. field — farmland
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bore — to tire
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rest — a break

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