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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. suit — in cards
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. suit — clothes
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fork — in a road
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. clip — a video
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. hand — help
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. suit — to fit
  23. last — to go on
  24. ruler — for measuring

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