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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. club — for golf
  5. present — there
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. kid — to tease
  10. present — the time now
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. roll — a cake
  13. present — a gift
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. club — a group
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. wake — a trail
  21. kid — child
  22. roll — a list
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wake — before a funeral

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