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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. bore — to drill
  6. stem — to come from
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. last — finally
  11. kid — child
  12. bass — low music
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. tube — a container
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bore — to tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pitch — completely
  24. last — to go on

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