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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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. kick — with a leg
  4. bound — certain
  5. last — final
  6. tear — to rip
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bound — tied together
  11. tear — from crying
  12. roll — a cake
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. roll — a list
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. last — to go on
  19. bound — obliged
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. rest — what's left
  22. tear — from crying
  23. snap — to click
  24. kick — in football

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