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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. roll — a cake
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. land — to come down
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. last — finally
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. land — ground
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. can — a tin
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. plane — a tool
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. roll — a list
  22. land — a country
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. plane — an aircraft

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