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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. last — to go on
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. last — final
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. band — a music group
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. club — for dancing
  13. band — a ring
  14. club — a group
  15. cue — a hint
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a committee
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. cue — a signal
  22. club — for golf
  23. last — finally
  24. bore — to drill

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