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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. snap — to click
  4. mate — a friend
  5. can — to be able to
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. last — to go on
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bore — to tire
  11. can — a tin
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bore — to drill
  14. can — a tin
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. lean — thin
  19. last — finally
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. last — final

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