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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fall — the season
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. land — ground
  5. spring — of water
  6. fall — to drop
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. land — a country
  9. fall — to drop
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — the underground
  12. land — to come down
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — final
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fine — high quality
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. spring — the season
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — music

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