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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. kid — to tease
  5. land — to come down
  6. toast — bread
  7. prune — to trim
  8. present — the time now
  9. last — finally
  10. land — ground
  11. last — final
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. present — a gift
  15. land — a country
  16. season — of the year
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. prune — to trim
  19. saw — the tool
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. kid — child
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. present — there

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