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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. land — ground
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. rock — music
  7. toast — bread
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. last — to go on
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. land — a country
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. land — to come down
  16. staff — a stick
  17. fine — all right
  18. last — finally
  19. wake — a trail
  20. staff — employees
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. rock — a stone
  23. staff — employees
  24. wake — before a funeral

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