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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. ground — a position
  10. root — the cause
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. last — final
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ground — the earth
  19. root — of a word
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. last — finally

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