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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. rest — a break
  5. last — final
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. last — finally
  8. rock — music
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — a tool
  12. fork — in a road
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. track — a path
  15. rest — what's left
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. track — a song
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rock — a stone
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. track — to keep track

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