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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. track — a path
  4. bore — to tire
  5. spring — a coil
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. track — a song
  12. last — final
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. track — to keep track
  15. spring — the season
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. spring — of water
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. temple — a place of worship

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