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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. last — finally
  6. swing — to play on
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — bread
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. field — farmland
  13. bear — the animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. swing — music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. field — a subject
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. root — the cause
  20. field — for sport
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. root — of a word
  24. bear — the animal

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