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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. scale — size or range
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. firm — a company
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wake — a trail
  9. firm — decided
  10. scale — in music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. last — to go on
  16. cell — a phone
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. last — finally
  20. cell — in biology
  21. firm — steady
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a partner

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