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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. ball — a dance
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wind — moving air
  6. last — final
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bank — of a river
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bank — for money
  12. wind — moving air
  13. last — to go on
  14. bound — certain
  15. capital — money
  16. bound — obliged
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bore — to tire
  21. capital — a city
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bank — for money
  24. bore — to drill

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