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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. saw — the tool
  6. last — finally
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cap — a hat
  9. pit — in a race
  10. content — happy
  11. pass — a permit
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. shower — to wash
  14. content — the amount
  15. shower — rain
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. cap — of ice
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pit — a hole
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. saw — the tool

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