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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. last — finally
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. spell — magic
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bore — to drill
  10. capital — a city
  11. last — to go on
  12. spell — a short time
  13. capital — money
  14. stand — to bear
  15. rock — a stone
  16. spell — letters
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. game — a match
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. last — final
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — music

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