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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. bound — tied together
  4. row — a line
  5. last — final
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rush — hurry
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bound — certain
  18. spring — the season
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. kid — child
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bound — obliged
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. spring — of water

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