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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fork — in a road
  3. object — a thing
  4. stock — goods
  5. last — to go on
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. object — to protest
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. file — a document
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. file — a tool
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stock — shares
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. dip — to sink
  20. file — a line of people
  21. object — an aim
  22. current — of water
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. last — finally

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