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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. march — music
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. scale — size or range
  8. present — the time now
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. present — a gift
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. march — the month
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. march — the month
  22. present — there
  23. dip — to sink
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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