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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. march — the month
  4. spring — the season
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spring — a coil
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. current — of water
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spring — of water
  14. march — the month
  15. squash — the sport
  16. spell — letters
  17. march — music
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. spell — magic
  21. current — electric
  22. squash — to crush
  23. current — happening now
  24. lie — to recline

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