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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. root — of a plant
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mark — a trace
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. mate — to breed
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. mark — a grade
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — to bear
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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