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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. last — finally
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rush — hurry
  11. last — to go on
  12. wake — a trail
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wax — to grow
  15. face — to confront
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rest — a break
  22. face — to point toward
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rush — to hurry

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