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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: rush · last · bore · march · bass · mouse · pit · kick

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. march — music
  3. last — to go on
  4. march — the month
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. march — the month
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bore — to tire
  17. last — finally
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kick — in football
  21. last — final
  22. pit — in a race
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — to hurry

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