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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rash — hasty
  3. last — finally
  4. can — a tin
  5. rash — a series
  6. bore — to tire
  7. can — a tin
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. roll — a list
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. key — for a lock
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. row — to paddle
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. bore — to drill
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. row — a line
  21. can — to be able to
  22. roll — a cake
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. mate — to breed

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