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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. object — to protest
  3. last — to go on
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. last — finally
  7. spell — letters
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rest — a break
  11. plane — a tool
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. last — final
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — in golf
  19. spell — magic
  20. object — a thing
  21. swing — to play on
  22. spell — a short time
  23. object — an aim
  24. plane — in geometry

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