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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 father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bore — to tire
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. wake — a trail
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bore — to drill
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. staff — employees
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. last — to go on
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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