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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. last — to go on
  3. bore — to tire
  4. season — in sport
  5. present — there
  6. can — to be able to
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. present — a gift
  9. last — finally
  10. season — of the year
  11. present — the time now
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. can — a tin
  14. wound — an injury
  15. last — final
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. can — a tin
  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