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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bore — to tire
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. spell — letters
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. last — final
  10. bore — to drill
  11. last — to go on
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. suit — clothes
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. court — of law
  16. drill — army training
  17. suit — in cards
  18. last — finally
  19. drill — the tool
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. spell — a short time
  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