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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rush — hurry
  4. season — in sport
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. mug — to rob
  8. last — final
  9. band — a music group
  10. last — finally
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mug — a face
  13. bore — to tire
  14. degree — an amount
  15. season — of the year
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cap — of ice
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. degree — temperature
  22. band — a ring
  23. cap — a hat
  24. last — to go on

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