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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. last — to go on
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bore — to tire
  5. firm — decided
  6. last — final
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. firm — steady
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. last — finally
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. drill — army training
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bore — to drill
  24. racket — for tennis

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