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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. roll — a list
  3. roll — a cake
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. band — a music group
  6. bore — to tire
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. last — to go on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. spring — the season
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. spring — of water
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bore — to drill
  16. board — a committee
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fine — high quality
  19. pass — a permit
  20. board — to get on
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fine — all right
  23. band — a ring
  24. last — finally

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