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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · ground · snap · bore · cell · rock · stick · last

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. last — finally
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cell — a phone
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. cell — in biology
  15. snap — to click
  16. ground — a position
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. ground — the earth
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. last — final
  21. rock — music
  22. ground — crushed
  23. last — to go on
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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