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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. can — a tin
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. last — to go on
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. last — finally
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rock — music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. can — a tin
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rest — a break
  24. wake — a trail

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