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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. last — final
  3. mug — a face
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pop — music
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. last — finally
  12. rest — a break
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pop — soda
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mug — to rob
  19. face — to confront
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stem — to come from
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pop — to visit
  24. last — to go on

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