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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. field — a subject
  7. last — finally
  8. rule — government
  9. field — for sport
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rule — a law
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. content — happy
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. last — final
  18. branch — a division
  19. content — the amount
  20. mark — a grade
  21. field — farmland
  22. date — the fruit
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. branch — of a tree

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