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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. shower — to wash
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. cue — a hint
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cue — a signal
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. plane — a tool
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. last — finally
  17. cue — for pool
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bore — to drill
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bore — to tire
  23. key — the most important part
  24. shower — rain

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