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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. drill — the tool
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. rock — music
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. snap — to click
  17. fork — in a road
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rest — what's left
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. fan — a supporter

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