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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bank — of a river
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bank — for money
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bank — for money
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. sharp — clever
  14. last — finally
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. game — a match
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. last — to go on
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. lean — thin
  22. toast — bread
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. toast — the most admired

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