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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mate — a partner
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. roll — a list
  6. last — final
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. object — a thing
  11. can — a tin
  12. object — an aim
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. can — a tin
  15. bat — the animal
  16. field — a subject
  17. last — finally
  18. roll — a cake
  19. object — to protest
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. can — to be able to

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