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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. band — a ring
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. hand — help
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. current — electric
  9. rash — hasty
  10. current — of water
  11. game — wild animals
  12. suit — in cards
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rash — a series
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. suit — to fit
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. band — a music group
  20. suit — clothes
  21. hand — in cards
  22. current — happening now
  23. game — a match
  24. band — a rubber band

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