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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. spell — letters
  5. firm — a company
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. last — final
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. squash — to crush
  11. spell — magic
  12. firm — decided
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rash — a series
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. spell — a short time
  17. ground — a position
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. firm — steady
  21. rash — hasty
  22. prune — to trim
  23. squash — the sport
  24. prune — to trim

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