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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pit — a hole
  4. last — to go on
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. last — finally
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. wax — to grow
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bass — low music
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mug — a face
  19. bore — to tire
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bound — certain
  24. last — final

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