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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mate — to breed
  3. last — to go on
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. club — for golf
  7. stand — to bear
  8. race — humankind
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. saw — the tool
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. club — a group
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mate — a partner
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. race — a contest
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. club — for dancing
  21. race — the arms race
  22. last — finally
  23. present — there
  24. mate — a friend

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