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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. spring — of water
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mate — a friend
  6. tear — to rip
  7. file — a tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. file — a document
  10. chair — a leader
  11. file — a line of people
  12. can — to be able to
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. last — to go on
  17. spring — the season
  18. can — a tin
  19. spring — a coil
  20. tear — from crying
  21. can — a tin
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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