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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. rest — what's left
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. season — of the year
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. scale — in music
  16. wake — a trail
  17. season — in sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bore — to tire

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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