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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 120 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pop — to visit
  3. last — to go on
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. last — final
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. firm — a company
  10. season — in sport
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. firm — steady
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. firm — decided
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. shower — rain
  21. stem — to come from
  22. last — finally
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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