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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. ground — a position
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. ground — the earth
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. last — to go on
  8. press — a publisher
  9. staff — employees
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. date — the fruit
  13. roll — a list
  14. press — newspapers
  15. last — final
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bore — to tire
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bore — to drill
  22. press — to push
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. ground — crushed

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