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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pop — music
  4. cell — in biology
  5. last — to go on
  6. cell — a phone
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pop — to visit
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. last — final
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. season — in sport
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. stem — to come from
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pop — soda
  24. season — of the year

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