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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. object — to protest
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bore — to tire
  5. ground — crushed
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. bore — to drill
  9. kick — in football
  10. row — to paddle
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — a thing
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ground — a position
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. last — finally
  18. ground — the earth
  19. row — a line
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. temple — side of the head

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