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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. last — to go on
  3. mug — a face
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. last — final
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mug — to rob
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pop — music
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pop — soda
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mug — a cup
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. rush — hurry
  21. last — finally
  22. can — a tin
  23. scale — in music
  24. can — a tin

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