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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pop — soda
  3. mark — a grade
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pop — music
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. last — to go on
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. wind — moving air
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. rest — a break
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rest — what's left
  23. last — finally
  24. bore — to drill

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