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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. saw — the tool
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. lean — thin
  6. craft — a skill
  7. mark — a trace
  8. last — finally
  9. kick — in football
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. lean — to bend
  14. fine — high quality
  15. craft — boats
  16. capital — a city
  17. mark — a grade
  18. fine — all right
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. last — final
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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