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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cold — not warm
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pit — in a race
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. last — final
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cold — an illness
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pit — a hole
  23. squash — to crush
  24. last — finally

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