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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. last — final
  3. present — the time now
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. last — to go on
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bore — to tire
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fine — high quality
  13. present — there
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bore — to drill
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. last — finally
  19. fine — all right
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. date — the fruit
  22. present — a gift
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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