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

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. suit — in cards
  5. ground — crushed
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. ground — a position
  9. fine — all right
  10. object — a thing
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. object — an aim
  13. last — final
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — clothes
  20. last — finally
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. fine — high quality
  23. ground — the earth
  24. object — to protest

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