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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rest — what's left
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. last — final
  6. swing — to play on
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. lean — thin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rest — a break
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. swing — in golf
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. saw — the tool
  19. swing — music
  20. clip — a video
  21. rest — what's left
  22. lean — to bend
  23. last — to go on
  24. clip — for paper

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