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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mate — to breed
  8. fall — to drop
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. lean — thin
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lean — to bend
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. object — to protest
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mate — a partner
  21. last — to go on
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. last — final

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