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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. game — wild animals
  4. board — a committee
  5. saw — the tool
  6. root — of a word
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. perch — the fish
  13. last — to go on
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stand — to bear
  19. root — the cause
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. board — to get on
  23. root — of a plant
  24. game — a match

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