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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. last — final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. spell — letters
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. last — finally
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. spell — a short time
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. shower — to wash
  19. spell — magic
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. band — a music group
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. shower — rain

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