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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cap — a lid
  7. shower — rain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rest — a break
  11. mug — to rob
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mug — a face
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. last — final
  16. shower — to wash
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bound — certain
  19. rest — what's left
  20. snap — to click
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. cap — a hat
  23. mug — a cup
  24. cap — of ice

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