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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. last — finally
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to click
  5. bore — to tire
  6. spell — a short time
  7. last — final
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. last — to go on
  21. spell — magic
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. spell — letters
  24. calf — a young animal

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