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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. fork — in a road
  4. rest — a break
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pitch — completely
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rest — what's left
  11. snap — to click
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. dip — to sink
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. last — to go on
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. dip — to dunk

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