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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. mark — a grade
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. net — in sport
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. net — after costs
  14. perch — the fish
  15. deal — to handle
  16. last — to go on
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fine — all right
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mark — a trace
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. net — for catching

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