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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. stock — goods
  3. key — the most important part
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wake — a trail
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rule — a law
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. rule — government
  11. stock — shares
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. key — in music
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. last — to go on
  19. key — for a lock
  20. last — finally
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mine — an explosive

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