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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to tire
  5. last — finally
  6. mark — a grade
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mark — a trace
  9. last — to go on
  10. present — the time now
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. date — the fruit
  13. rest — what's left
  14. last — final
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bore — to drill
  19. rest — a break
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rest — what's left
  22. present — there
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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