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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. current — happening now
  5. kick — in football
  6. last — to go on
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. current — of water
  9. stem — to come from
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. key — for a lock
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. key — in music
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. last — finally
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. foot — a measure
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. key — the most important part
  21. current — electric
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. foot — part of the body

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