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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. wound — an injury
  4. last — finally
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. present — the time now
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. scale — in music
  10. branch — a division
  11. present — there
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. staff — employees
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. present — a gift
  17. wound — an injury
  18. sharp — clever
  19. staff — a stick
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — a safe
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. scale — size or range
  24. staff — employees

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