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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mate — a friend
  3. drill — a practice
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pit — a hole
  6. object — to protest
  7. last — final
  8. pit — in a race
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. lean — thin
  13. pop — to visit
  14. drill — the tool
  15. root — of a word
  16. last — finally
  17. drill — army training
  18. mate — a partner
  19. object — an aim
  20. root — the cause
  21. pop — music
  22. object — a thing
  23. pop — soda
  24. root — of a plant

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