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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. drill — a practice
  4. suit — to fit
  5. last — final
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. suit — in cards
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wake — a trail
  13. last — to go on
  14. drill — army training
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rash — a series
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. suit — clothes

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