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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. key — for a lock
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. date — the fruit
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. charge — in control
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — a price
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. season — of the year
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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