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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 116 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. suit — to fit
  6. mine — for digging
  7. chip — for betting
  8. last — finally
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. chip — to eat
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a ring
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. last — to go on
  16. kick — in football
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — clothes
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. chip — in a computer

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