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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. pop — music
  9. rule — government
  10. bore — to drill
  11. rule — a law
  12. mate — to breed
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pop — to visit
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. last — to go on
  17. mate — a partner
  18. last — finally
  19. bore — to tire
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pop — soda
  23. mate — a friend
  24. sharp — clever

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