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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. last — to go on
  7. root — the cause
  8. object — to protest
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bore — to tire
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. object — a thing
  17. ball — a great time
  18. object — an aim
  19. hand — help
  20. bore — to drill
  21. root — of a word
  22. ball — a dance
  23. root — of a plant
  24. hand — part of the body

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