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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. deal — to handle
  5. season — of the year
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. bore — to tire
  9. season — in sport
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bore — to drill
  18. last — final
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. pound — a weight
  21. sharp — clever
  22. tube — a container
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. tube — the underground

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