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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. race — humankind
  6. pound — a weight
  7. lean — to bend
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fine — all right
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. last — finally
  15. kid — child
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lean — thin
  18. fine — high quality
  19. kid — to tease
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. rest — a break

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