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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 120 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. spring — of water
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. spring — the season
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. cell — a phone
  14. scale — in music
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. cell — in biology
  18. last — final
  19. last — to go on
  20. bore — to tire
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. spring — a coil
  24. kid — child

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