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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. chip — for betting
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rest — what's left
  8. chip — to eat
  9. rest — a break
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. last — to go on
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mug — to rob
  20. rest — what's left
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mug — a face
  24. straw — dry grass

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