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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. spell — a short time
  3. mug — a cup
  4. object — a thing
  5. last — finally
  6. spell — magic
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. key — in music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. key — the most important part
  12. object — an aim
  13. mug — to rob
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. chest — of your body
  16. key — for a lock
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mug — a face
  19. last — final
  20. rest — a break
  21. object — to protest
  22. spell — letters
  23. rest — what's left
  24. shower — rain

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