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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. tube — the underground
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. last — final
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. firm — steady
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. season — in sport
  17. march — the month
  18. roll — a list
  19. tube — a container
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. season — of the year
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — decided

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