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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. last — to go on
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. last — final
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pop — soda
  12. present — the time now
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. pop — to visit
  19. present — a gift
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pop — music
  22. fork — in a road
  23. present — there
  24. leaves — lets stay

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