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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 116 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. row — to paddle
  6. drill — a practice
  7. game — wild animals
  8. last — finally
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. drill — the tool
  12. row — a line
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. drill — army training
  15. tube — a container
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. last — to go on
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pass — a permit
  21. game — a match
  22. tube — the underground
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. branch — a division

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