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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 shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. fine — high quality
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. last — final
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kid — child
  7. last — finally
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. drill — the tool
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. mug — to rob
  13. lean — to bend
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. lean — thin
  16. mug — a cup
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. drill — army training
  19. fine — all right
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. drill — a practice
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mug — a face
  24. jam — in traffic

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