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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 120 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. staff — employees
  3. last — finally
  4. spell — letters
  5. wound — an injury
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. last — final
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bulb — for light
  10. tube — a container
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. spell — a short time
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. staff — employees
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wound — an injury
  21. spell — magic
  22. staff — a stick
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. leaves — of a tree

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