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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. object — a thing
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. last — to go on
  6. pit — a hole
  7. march — the month
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. staff — employees
  10. march — music
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — an aim
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. last — finally
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. staff — employees
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. pit — in a race
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. march — the month
  24. staff — a stick

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