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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. staff — a stick
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pass — a permit
  8. field — for sport
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bank — for money
  11. field — farmland
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. staff — employees
  14. bank — for money
  15. staff — employees
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. field — a subject
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. last — final

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