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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. suit — clothes
  3. squash — to crush
  4. last — final
  5. squash — the sport
  6. last — finally
  7. staff — a stick
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spell — a short time
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. file — a line of people
  13. suit — in cards
  14. staff — employees
  15. file — a document
  16. staff — employees
  17. root — the cause
  18. spell — letters
  19. land — ground
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. spell — magic
  23. suit — to fit
  24. file — a tool

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