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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. suit — clothes
  5. object — a thing
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. object — to protest
  8. suit — to fit
  9. rush — hurry
  10. last — finally
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. suit — in cards
  13. mate — a friend
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. last — to go on
  17. mate — a partner
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. object — an aim
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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