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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. march — the month
  4. bore — to drill
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. key — in music
  7. net — in sport
  8. key — for a lock
  9. net — after costs
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. last — to go on
  12. key — the most important part
  13. net — for catching
  14. season — in sport
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. date — the fruit
  18. last — final
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. march — music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. vault — a safe
  23. season — of the year
  24. march — the month

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