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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. last — finally
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. rest — a break
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. snap — to click
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — a law
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rule — government
  24. season — to add flavour

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