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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. vault — a safe
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bulb — for light
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pit — a hole
  14. rash — hasty
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pit — in a race
  19. last — finally
  20. rash — a series
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. last — to go on
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bore — to tire

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