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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rest — what's left
  3. key — in music
  4. spell — letters
  5. key — for a lock
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. last — finally
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ground — the earth
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. ground — crushed
  14. spell — a short time
  15. key — the most important part
  16. last — final
  17. ground — a position
  18. spell — magic

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