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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. can — to be able to
  3. date — the fruit
  4. can — a tin
  5. squash — the sport
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. file — a tool
  8. last — finally
  9. rest — what's left
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rest — a break
  18. spell — letters
  19. can — a tin
  20. spell — magic
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. last — final
  24. rest — what's left

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