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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. club — for golf
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. mate — a partner
  6. last — to go on
  7. bear — the animal
  8. face — to point toward
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. mate — a friend
  11. key — in music
  12. mate — to breed
  13. club — a group
  14. face — part of the head
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bore — to drill
  21. key — for a lock
  22. face — to confront
  23. sharp — clever
  24. club — for dancing

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