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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rest — a break
  5. last — final
  6. pop — music
  7. last — finally
  8. fall — to drop
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. drill — army training
  15. last — to go on
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. kid — child
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rest — what's left
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fall — the season
  24. pop — soda

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