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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. fine — high quality
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. last — to go on
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. fine — all right
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. last — final
  11. board — to get on
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. board — a committee
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. plane — a tool
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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