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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bound — tied together
  5. last — final
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bank — of a river
  9. plane — a tool
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bound — obliged
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. last — finally
  19. bound — certain
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a committee
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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