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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. can — a tin
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. can — to be able to
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rash — a series
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. last — finally
  19. bore — to tire
  20. can — a tin
  21. sharp — clever
  22. rash — hasty
  23. last — final
  24. trunk — of a car

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