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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. dip — to sink
  3. track — a path
  4. last — finally
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mug — a cup
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mate — to breed
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mate — a friend
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mug — to rob
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mate — a partner
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. last — final
  17. capital — a city
  18. track — a song
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. capital — money
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. mug — a face
  24. dip — a sauce

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