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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. chip — for betting
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cell — a phone
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. last — finally
  13. cell — in biology
  14. chip — to eat
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. rest — a break
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. court — for sport
  24. last — to go on

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