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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. last — to go on
  12. rash — hasty
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bound — certain
  15. tube — a container
  16. last — finally
  17. tube — the underground
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — boats
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. rash — a series

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