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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. last — to go on
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bore — to drill
  12. last — finally
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. sharp — clever
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mine — for digging
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. last — final
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. sharp — exactly

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