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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. root — the cause
  13. drill — a practice
  14. club — for golf
  15. root — of a plant
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rule — government
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. mine — for digging
  21. dip — to sink
  22. root — of a word
  23. drill — army training
  24. rule — a law

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