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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 120 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. last — finally
  4. mine — for digging
  5. last — final
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bore — to drill
  11. staff — employees
  12. march — the month
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bore — to tire
  15. last — to go on
  16. staff — employees
  17. mug — a face
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — to rob
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. march — the month
  23. staff — a stick
  24. march — music

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