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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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. cell — in biology
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. toast — bread
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bank — for money
  9. last — to go on
  10. bank — for money
  11. march — the month
  12. mine — for digging
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rock — music
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. last — finally
  21. bank — of a river
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. rock — a stone
  24. cell — a phone

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