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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stand — to bear
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pitch — completely
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. drill — army training
  9. band — a music group
  10. key — for a lock
  11. last — to go on
  12. band — a ring
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. key — in music
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. drill — the tool
  23. key — the most important part
  24. mate — to breed

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