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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. club — a group
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. rest — what's left
  5. club — for dancing
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fork — in a road
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. tube — the underground
  16. rest — a break
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. tube — a container
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. last — to go on
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rest — what's left
  23. last — final
  24. club — for golf

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