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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rest — what's left
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. march — music
  5. roll — a cake
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. last — to go on
  10. rest — a break
  11. last — final
  12. kid — to tease
  13. march — the month
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fine — high quality
  16. toast — bread
  17. kid — child
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. last — finally
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. march — the month
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. roll — a list

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