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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cue — a signal
  6. key — for a lock
  7. band — a music group
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. key — the most important part
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. land — a country
  14. key — in music
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. band — a ring
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — a list

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