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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. last — to go on
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wake — a trail
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cell — in biology
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cell — a phone
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mate — to breed

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