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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. pop — to visit
  3. last — to go on
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. season — of the year
  8. current — of water
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — electric
  13. pop — soda
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. bore — to drill
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pop — music
  22. season — in sport
  23. pit — a hole
  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