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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. staff — employees
  9. last — to go on
  10. mark — a trace
  11. march — the month
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. last — final
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. march — music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. staff — employees
  21. mark — a grade
  22. staff — a stick
  23. ground — the earth
  24. march — the month

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