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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. object — an aim
  3. last — finally
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bound — obliged
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bound — certain
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bound — tied together
  17. last — final
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. pass — a permit
  20. foot — a measure
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — a thing
  23. last — to go on
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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