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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rest — a break
  4. object — an aim
  5. last — to go on
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. object — a thing
  8. tube — a container
  9. band — a ring
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to drill
  18. last — final
  19. tube — the underground
  20. object — to protest
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bore — to tire
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. band — a music group

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