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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. last — final
  3. present — a gift
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pop — music
  8. date — the fruit
  9. pop — to visit
  10. spring — a coil
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. pop — soda
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. bore — to tire
  24. arm — part of the body

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