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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 120 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. last — finally
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cell — in biology
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. last — final
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. season — of the year
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. dip — to sink
  18. game — a match
  19. last — to go on
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. season — in sport
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. rest — what's left
  24. game — wild animals

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