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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. last — finally
  6. stem — to come from
  7. key — in music
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. track — a song
  14. key — the most important part
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. track — a path
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. track — to keep track
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. last — to go on
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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