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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bore — to tire
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cue — a signal
  6. last — to go on
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. cue — a hint
  13. last — final
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. net — in sport
  16. bore — to drill
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mate — to breed
  19. pitch — completely
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mate — a friend

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