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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. row — a line
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. spell — magic
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. row — to paddle
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bear — the animal
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. stock — goods

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