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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. last — to go on
  4. rest — a break
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mug — to rob
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — a face
  16. cap — of ice
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. last — finally
  19. band — a music group
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a ring
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cap — a lid

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