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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 116 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. file — a line of people
  3. last — to go on
  4. suit — in cards
  5. file — a document
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bore — to tire
  10. pop — music
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. pop — soda
  14. suit — to fit
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pop — to visit
  18. last — finally
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. suit — clothes
  22. march — music
  23. file — a tool
  24. plane — a tool

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