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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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 — finally
  2. present — the time now
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — music
  13. present — a gift
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. sharp — clever
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rock — a stone
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. row — to paddle
  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