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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 120 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — final
  3. charge — in control
  4. march — the month
  5. saw — the tool
  6. charge — electricity
  7. march — music
  8. bound — certain
  9. court — for sport
  10. charge — a price
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. spell — magic
  13. bound — obliged
  14. march — the month
  15. court — of a king
  16. bound — tied together
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. last — finally
  19. spell — letters
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. snap — to click
  23. court — of law
  24. spell — a short time

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