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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. suit — clothes
  3. land — a country
  4. mine — for digging
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. land — to come down
  9. suit — in cards
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. present — the time now
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. present — a gift
  14. land — ground
  15. suit — to fit
  16. roll — a cake
  17. last — to go on
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. last — finally
  20. present — there
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. perch — the fish
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. perch — for a bird

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