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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. net — in sport
  4. mark — a grade
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. net — after costs
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. fine — high quality
  11. net — for catching
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. present — the time now
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fine — all right
  17. present — a gift
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. mark — a trace
  23. present — there
  24. pitcher — a jug

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