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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. object — a thing
  3. rest — what's left
  4. last — final
  5. bore — to drill
  6. last — finally
  7. race — a contest
  8. object — an aim
  9. bark — to shout
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rest — what's left
  12. last — to go on
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. rest — a break
  19. race — humankind
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. foot — a measure
  24. object — to protest

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