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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to tire
  6. squash — to crush
  7. mug — to rob
  8. squash — the sport
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mug — a cup
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. last — to go on
  15. wind — moving air
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. rush — hurry
  23. last — final
  24. mug — a face

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