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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. land — ground
  4. bore — to drill
  5. present — a gift
  6. land — to come down
  7. last — final
  8. present — the time now
  9. stock — shares
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bound — certain
  18. dip — to sink
  19. land — a country
  20. bound — tied together
  21. present — there
  22. last — finally
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. last — to go on

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