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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. object — to protest
  3. last — finally
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. branch — a division
  6. game — wild animals
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. scale — size or range
  11. object — an aim
  12. squash — to crush
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. last — to go on
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. object — a thing
  17. game — a match
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — in a road
  24. squash — the sport

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