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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. lean — to bend
  4. present — a gift
  5. shower — to wash
  6. can — to be able to
  7. shower — rain
  8. can — a tin
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. race — the arms race
  12. can — a tin
  13. race — humankind
  14. lean — thin
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. present — there
  17. present — the time now
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. race — a contest
  20. last — final
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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