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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bat — the animal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. mark — a grade
  11. present — the time now
  12. squash — the sport
  13. last — final
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. present — a gift
  16. rock — a stone
  17. present — there
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. squash — to crush
  20. rock — music
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bat — for baseball

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