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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bore — to tire
  4. last — to go on
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. spell — magic
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. band — a ring
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. spell — a short time
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — a company
  15. ground — the earth
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. spell — letters
  19. bore — to drill
  20. ground — a position
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. band — a music group
  23. firm — decided
  24. last — finally

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