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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bore — to drill
  4. clip — a video
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. last — finally
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. rash — a series
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. last — to go on
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. clip — for paper
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bore — to tire
  24. mouse — the animal

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