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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rock — a stone
  9. roll — a list
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. roll — a cake
  12. pass — a permit
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rock — music
  16. wax — to grow
  17. kick — in football
  18. last — to go on
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. last — finally
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. staff — employees
  24. wax — for sculpting

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