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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. last — final
  4. file — a tool
  5. spring — the season
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. spring — of water
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bound — certain
  10. ground — crushed
  11. last — to go on
  12. file — a document
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stand — to bear
  17. rush — hurry
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bound — obliged
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. ground — a position
  23. bound — tied together
  24. ground — the earth

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