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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. key — for a lock
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. last — to go on
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. fall — the season
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stock — goods
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. fall — to drop
  16. shower — rain
  17. key — in music
  18. row — to paddle
  19. key — the most important part
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. stock — shares
  23. row — a line
  24. bear — the animal

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