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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. last — finally
  2. band — a ring
  3. kid — child
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rest — a break
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. last — to go on
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. last — final
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rush — hurry
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. band — a music group
  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