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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rest — what's left
  4. last — final
  5. kid — to tease
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rest — what's left
  11. last — to go on
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. rest — a break
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pass — a permit
  22. kid — child
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pass — to spend time

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