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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. last — final
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rest — what's left
  6. last — finally
  7. perch — the fish
  8. race — a contest
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. tear — from crying
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cell — a phone
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. race — humankind
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. cell — in biology
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. last — to go on
  22. rest — a break
  23. date — the fruit
  24. tear — to rip

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