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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. court — for sport
  4. last — final
  5. tube — a container
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. last — finally
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. last — to go on
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. rest — what's left
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rest — a break
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. sharp — clever
  22. rush — hurry
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. rest — what's left

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