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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. drill — the tool
  3. object — a thing
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. drill — army training
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — in football
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pound — a weight
  12. object — to protest
  13. last — final
  14. object — an aim
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. last — finally
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. stem — of a plant

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