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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. saw — the tool
  3. last — final
  4. mark — a grade
  5. last — to go on
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. field — farmland
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mug — a face
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. last — finally
  18. mark — a trace
  19. rest — a break
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mug — a cup
  24. rest — what's left

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