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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. last — finally
  4. bore — to tire
  5. can — a tin
  6. hand — help
  7. net — in sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. drill — army training
  10. can — to be able to
  11. drill — the tool
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. last — to go on
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. net — after costs
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bore — to drill
  22. net — for catching
  23. last — final
  24. bore — gave birth

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