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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. root — of a plant
  4. last — final
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. squash — the sport
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. rest — a break
  9. root — the cause
  10. rest — what's left
  11. capital — a city
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. last — to go on
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. squash — to crush
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. root — of a word
  23. rest — what's left
  24. capital — money

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