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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. lean — to bend
  3. object — an aim
  4. last — finally
  5. tube — the underground
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. object — a thing
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. last — to go on
  11. content — happy
  12. season — of the year
  13. scale — size or range
  14. object — to protest
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. saw — the tool
  17. scale — in music
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lean — thin
  22. content — the amount
  23. tube — a container
  24. content — videos and posts

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