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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. staff — a stick
  3. season — in sport
  4. present — a gift
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. suit — in cards
  7. stock — goods
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. stock — shares
  11. last — final
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. vault — a safe
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. last — finally
  18. staff — employees
  19. fork — in a road
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — to fit
  22. season — of the year
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. staff — employees

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