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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. last — finally
  3. tear — from crying
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. key — in music
  7. pass — a permit
  8. row — to paddle
  9. last — to go on
  10. key — the most important part
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. tear — to rip
  16. last — final
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. key — for a lock
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. row — a line
  23. fork — in a road
  24. hand — help

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