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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mate — a partner
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. mate — a friend
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bank — for money
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. bank — for money
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bore — to tire
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bore — to drill
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bank — of a river
  21. mate — to breed
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cabinet — ministers

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