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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. current — happening now
  6. mate — to breed
  7. season — in sport
  8. plane — a tool
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. last — to go on
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pit — in a race
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. pit — a hole
  18. current — of water
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. current — electric
  21. last — finally
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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