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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. vault — a safe
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ball — a great time
  14. tear — from crying
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. present — a gift
  18. ball — a dance
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. stand — to bear
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. kick — in football
  24. last — to go on

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