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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. last — final
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bore — to drill
  5. ball — a dance
  6. last — to go on
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pop — soda
  10. bore — to tire
  11. pop — music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. last — finally
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. ball — a great time
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. foot — a measure
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. rash — a series

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