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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. last — finally
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wound — an injury
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — to go on
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. content — the amount
  12. rest — a break
  13. march — music
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. march — the month
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. last — final
  20. march — the month
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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