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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rest — what's left
  3. last — to go on
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. rest — a break
  7. squash — the sport
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. last — final
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. plane — a tool
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. cell — in biology
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. date — the fruit
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rest — what's left
  22. squash — to crush
  23. cell — a phone
  24. patient — a sick person

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