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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mug — a face
  3. kid — child
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. last — to go on
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. mug — to rob
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. kid — to tease
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. last — finally

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