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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. last — final
  6. present — a gift
  7. key — in music
  8. present — the time now
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. season — in sport
  12. pound — a weight
  13. drill — a practice
  14. last — to go on
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bore — to drill
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. present — there
  20. bore — to tire
  21. drill — army training
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. season — of the year
  24. object — an aim

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