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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bore — to tire
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. date — the fruit
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. capital — a city
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. capital — money
  18. stem — to come from
  19. toast — bread
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bore — to drill

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