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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bank — for money
  6. squash — to crush
  7. last — final
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bank — for money
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. face — to point toward
  17. fine — all right
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. fine — high quality
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bank — of a river
  24. coach — a trainer

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