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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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 — final
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rock — music
  4. object — an aim
  5. wound — an injury
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bore — to drill
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. press — to push
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bore — to tire
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — to protest
  15. last — finally
  16. press — newspapers
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. rock — a stone
  19. press — a publisher
  20. craft — boats
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. last — to go on
  24. bore — gave birth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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