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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. last — finally
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bore — to drill
  8. present — there
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bore — to tire
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bound — certain
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. present — the time now
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. file — a line of people
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. present — a gift
  22. file — a document
  23. lie — to recline
  24. file — a tool

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