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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. tear — from crying
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. last — finally
  11. wake — a trail
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. tear — from crying
  16. object — a thing
  17. deal — to handle
  18. tear — to rip
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. object — to protest
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. last — to go on
  24. object — an aim

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