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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. last — final
  3. shower — to wash
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. bore — to drill
  7. staff — employees
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. staff — employees
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. staff — a stick
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. season — in sport
  18. mark — a grade
  19. toast — bread
  20. bore — to tire
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. season — of the year
  23. shower — rain
  24. perch — for a bird

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