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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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. hand — part of the body
  4. fall — the season
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bulb — for light
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cap — of ice
  9. fine — all right
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. hand — help
  17. fall — to drop
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. last — finally
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fork — to eat with

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