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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. fine — high quality
  3. last — final
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. perch — the fish
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. last — finally
  9. swing — music
  10. mug — a face
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mug — a cup
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. capital — a city
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. capital — money
  21. mug — to rob
  22. fine — all right
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. capital — a big letter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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