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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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468
Word bank
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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. press — to push
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. tear — from crying
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. last — finally
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. last — final
  13. tear — from crying
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. tear — to rip
  17. content — happy
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. staff — employees
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. march — the month
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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