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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. object — a thing
  4. row — to paddle
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. last — to go on
  8. cold — not warm
  9. ball — a dance
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — to tire
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. dip — to sink
  15. object — an aim
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. object — to protest
  19. row — a line
  20. cold — an illness
  21. ball — a great time
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. last — finally

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