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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. last — final
  5. spring — the season
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wound — an injury
  8. date — the fruit
  9. staff — a stick
  10. last — to go on
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. spring — of water
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wound — an injury
  17. craft — boats
  18. staff — employees
  19. craft — a skill
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. staff — employees
  24. spring — a coil

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