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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. tube — a container
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. spell — letters
  13. tear — from crying
  14. last — to go on
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. tear — to rip
  18. spell — magic
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tube — the underground

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