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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 124 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. rash — hasty
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. last — final
  5. season — of the year
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. content — the amount
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. last — finally
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — a face
  13. row — to paddle
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. content — happy
  18. rash — a series
  19. row — a line
  20. last — to go on
  21. mug — to rob
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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