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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 120 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. bore — to tire
  3. stand — to bear
  4. court — for sport
  5. fall — to drop
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. last — to go on
  9. object — to protest
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fall — to drop
  13. last — finally
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. fall — the season
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. object — an aim
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bore — to drill
  22. sharp — clever
  23. object — a thing
  24. bore — gave birth

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