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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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. fine — all right
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. present — a gift
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. foot — a measure
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. rush — hurry
  19. fine — high quality
  20. last — finally
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  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