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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rest — a break
  3. board — a committee
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rest — what's left
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — clever
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. last — finally
  13. rest — what's left
  14. board — to get on
  15. stem — to come from
  16. last — to go on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. lean — to bend
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. lean — thin

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