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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. band — a music group
  5. last — finally
  6. key — the most important part
  7. shower — to wash
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. shower — rain
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. sharp — clever
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. key — for a lock
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. last — final
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ground — a position
  23. key — in music
  24. band — a ring

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