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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. last — to go on
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. swing — to play on
  10. vault — a safe
  11. stock — shares
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stock — goods
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. swing — music
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. ground — the earth
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. swing — in golf
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. last — final

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