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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. vault — a safe
  3. toast — bread
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. last — to go on
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bore — to tire
  18. mate — a friend
  19. tear — from crying
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. last — finally
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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