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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mate — a partner
  7. toast — bread
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mate — a friend
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cell — a phone
  14. last — final
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. cell — in biology
  19. last — finally
  20. date — the fruit
  21. mate — to breed
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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