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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 124 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a trace
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. last — to go on
  7. date — the fruit
  8. firm — steady
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. firm — a company
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. spring — the season
  15. wound — an injury
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. spring — a coil
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. spring — of water
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. firm — decided
  22. wound — an injury
  23. last — final
  24. mark — a grade

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