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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. chip — for betting
  6. last — final
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fine — all right
  10. last — to go on
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — to bear
  13. date — the fruit
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. tear — from crying
  20. spring — of water
  21. fine — high quality
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stand — on your feet

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