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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. key — for a lock
  3. last — finally
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. row — to paddle
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mark — a grade
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. last — to go on
  13. current — electric
  14. tear — from crying
  15. row — a line
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. current — happening now
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rash — hasty
  21. current — of water
  22. mark — a trace
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — in music

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