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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 120 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. suit — to fit
  3. band — a music group
  4. present — a gift
  5. last — finally
  6. scale — size or range
  7. suit — clothes
  8. scale — in music
  9. suit — in cards
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mate — a friend
  14. last — to go on
  15. band — a ring
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. present — there
  20. present — the time now
  21. mate — to breed
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. clip — a video
  24. mate — a partner

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