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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: bore · ruler · kick · vault · last · sharp · pound · bound

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bound — tied together
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pound — a weight
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bound — certain
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bound — obliged
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. last — to go on

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