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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. present — the time now
  3. last — finally
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. mark — a grade
  6. last — final
  7. present — a gift
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. present — there
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bat — the animal
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. ball — a dance

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