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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mark — a grade
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rash — a series
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mark — a trace
  19. deal — to handle
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. last — to go on

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