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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
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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: game · bore · last · saw · can · arm · date · rush

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. last — to go on
  3. bore — to tire
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. can — a tin
  7. saw — the tool
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rush — hurry
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. saw — the tool
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. can — a tin
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bore — to drill
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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