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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. scale — size or range
  5. current — happening now
  6. last — to go on
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. current — of water
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. scale — in music
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. last — final
  15. wake — a trail
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. spell — a short time
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. current — electric
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rash — hasty
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cabinet — ministers

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