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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. land — a country
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. lean — thin
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. toast — bread
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — to go on
  10. rest — a break
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. land — ground
  13. dip — to sink
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. land — to come down
  16. foot — a measure
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. lean — to bend
  23. last — finally
  24. rest — what's left

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