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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. file — a document
  3. suit — in cards
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. spring — a coil
  6. suit — to fit
  7. spring — the season
  8. staff — employees
  9. file — a line of people
  10. suit — clothes
  11. net — in sport
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. toast — bread
  15. file — a tool
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. spring — of water
  21. staff — employees
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. sharp — clever
  24. staff — a stick

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