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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. mate — a partner
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bore — to tire
  11. spring — of water
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bore — to drill
  20. last — finally
  21. net — after costs
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bore — gave birth

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