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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. present — the time now
  4. kid — child
  5. club — for dancing
  6. last — to go on
  7. present — there
  8. track — a path
  9. last — finally
  10. drill — a practice
  11. track — to keep track
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. track — a song
  14. bark — to shout
  15. club — for golf
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. present — a gift
  18. drill — army training
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. drill — the tool
  23. club — a group
  24. kid — to tease

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