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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. last — to go on
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rush — hurry
  6. last — finally
  7. firm — steady
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. spell — magic
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. stock — goods
  16. firm — decided
  17. stock — shares
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rest — a break
  20. last — final
  21. capital — money
  22. spell — letters
  23. firm — a company
  24. lash — an eyelash

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