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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. march — the month
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bore — to drill
  5. cap — a lid
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. object — an aim
  9. stand — to bear
  10. march — music
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. cap — a hat
  16. march — the month
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — a thing
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. pound — a weight
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. bore — gave birth

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