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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. object — to protest
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stock — goods
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. last — final
  11. rest — what's left
  12. last — to go on
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rest — a break
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. object — an aim
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stock — shares
  20. game — wild animals
  21. saw — the tool
  22. game — a match
  23. object — a thing
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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