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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. cold — not warm
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. plane — a tool
  6. staff — employees
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. last — final
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. last — finally
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. last — to go on
  20. staff — employees
  21. cold — an illness
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rest — what's left

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