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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. pop — music
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. craft — boats
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. foot — a measure
  13. pop — to visit
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bore — to drill
  16. craft — a skill
  17. last — finally
  18. cap — of ice
  19. ball — a great time
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pop — soda
  24. cap — a lid

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