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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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468
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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. last — finally
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. last — to go on
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. swing — to play on
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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