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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. current — electric
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. current — of water
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. last — to go on
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — money
  14. last — finally
  15. court — of law
  16. capital — a city
  17. current — happening now
  18. court — for sport
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. court — of a king
  22. plane — a tool
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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