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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. object — a thing
  3. last — final
  4. season — in sport
  5. scale — in music
  6. lean — thin
  7. object — to protest
  8. wind — moving air
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. lean — to bend
  11. last — to go on
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — a price
  15. deal — to handle
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. charge — in control
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. scale — size or range
  22. object — an aim
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. season — of the year

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