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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. rest — what's left
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. wound — an injury
  8. craft — boats
  9. rest — what's left
  10. last — final
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. chip — to eat
  13. spell — letters
  14. last — finally
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spell — magic
  18. craft — a skill
  19. rest — a break
  20. snap — to click
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spell — a short time

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