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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wake — a trail
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. last — final
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bound — obliged
  10. deal — to handle
  11. rest — what's left
  12. last — finally
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rest — a break
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bound — certain
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. snap — to click
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bound — tied together
  24. current — of water

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