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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rash — hasty
  4. last — finally
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. kick — in football
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mate — to breed
  15. last — to go on
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mate — a friend
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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