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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. drill — army training
  13. rash — hasty
  14. drill — a practice
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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