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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. club — for dancing
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bore — to tire
  6. spell — letters
  7. roll — a cake
  8. last — finally
  9. bore — to drill
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. mate — a friend
  13. club — for golf
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mate — a partner
  16. spell — a short time
  17. roll — a list
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. last — final
  21. club — a group
  22. mate — to breed
  23. deal — to handle
  24. spell — magic

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