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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. suit — in cards
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. mark — a grade
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. suit — to fit
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. stem — to come from
  13. present — a gift
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mark — a trace
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. last — finally
  18. suit — clothes
  19. row — a line
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. last — final
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. present — there
  24. present — the time now

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