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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. current — electric
  10. ball — a great time
  11. stock — shares
  12. season — in sport
  13. current — of water
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. stock — goods
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. current — happening now
  18. lie — to recline
  19. wax — to grow
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. ball — a dance
  24. wax — in the ear

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