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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. suit — in cards
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. land — to come down
  5. bore — to tire
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. land — ground
  8. track — a path
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. last — to go on
  11. suit — to fit
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. can — a tin
  16. bore — to drill
  17. can — a tin
  18. track — to keep track
  19. last — finally
  20. suit — clothes
  21. track — a song
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. land — a country

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