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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 120 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 get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. present — a gift
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. fork — in a road
  11. last — finally
  12. tear — to rip
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rush — hurry
  17. last — final
  18. craft — boats
  19. stand — to bear
  20. present — the time now
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. craft — a skill
  24. present — there

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