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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. spell — letters
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rule — government
  8. last — to go on
  9. bank — for money
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rule — a law
  12. last — finally
  13. perch — the fish
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bank — for money
  16. rush — hurry
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. spell — magic
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bank — of a river
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. arm — part of the body

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