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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. spring — a coil
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. last — finally
  6. spring — the season
  7. last — final
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. spring — of water
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. net — after costs
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. last — to go on
  21. rush — hurry
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. ruler — for measuring

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