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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bore — to tire
  4. last — to go on
  5. suit — clothes
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. last — final
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. suit — to fit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bark — to shout
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bore — to drill
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. suit — in cards
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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