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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 116 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. last — to go on
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. spell — letters
  6. bore — to tire
  7. track — a path
  8. net — for catching
  9. track — to keep track
  10. net — in sport
  11. track — a song
  12. last — final
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cue — a signal
  15. last — finally
  16. bore — to drill
  17. net — after costs
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. cue — for pool
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. spell — magic

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