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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. clip — for paper
  6. last — to go on
  7. bore — to drill
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. tube — a container
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bore — to tire
  12. stand — to bear
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pass — a permit
  15. last — final
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. clip — a video
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. mine — for digging
  21. rush — hurry
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — to succeed

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