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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. chip — for betting
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. last — final
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. shower — to wash
  11. chip — to eat
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. spell — letters
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. shower — rain
  18. squash — to crush
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. last — finally
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. straw — dry grass

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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