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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. last — finally
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. key — the most important part
  7. kid — child
  8. bark — to shout
  9. mug — to rob
  10. key — in music
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. land — to come down
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. land — ground
  17. last — final
  18. mug — a face
  19. shower — rain
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. land — a country
  22. shower — to wash
  23. kid — to tease
  24. key — for a lock

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