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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. kid — child
  3. foot — a measure
  4. field — a subject
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. field — for sport
  10. lie — to recline
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. kid — to tease
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. field — farmland
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pass — a permit
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. last — to go on
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. last — finally

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