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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. last — finally
  5. cue — for pool
  6. track — a song
  7. pit — a hole
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. date — the fruit
  13. track — a path
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. last — to go on
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rush — hurry
  20. last — final
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cue — a signal
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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