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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. suit — in cards
  3. last — final
  4. suit — to fit
  5. press — a publisher
  6. present — the time now
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. suit — clothes
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bark — to shout
  16. press — newspapers
  17. last — finally
  18. present — there
  19. present — a gift
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. press — to push
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mark — to pay attention

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