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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bound — certain
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. row — to paddle
  6. plane — a tool
  7. lean — thin
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stock — goods
  15. rush — hurry
  16. last — finally
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. last — to go on
  19. lean — to bend
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bound — tied together
  22. stock — shares
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. row — a line

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