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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. current — happening now
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wake — a trail
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. net — after costs
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. current — of water
  16. net — in sport
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ground — crushed
  19. net — for catching
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. tube — the underground
  22. current — electric
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. ground — a position

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