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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. snap — to click
  6. rash — hasty
  7. chest — a box
  8. drill — a practice
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. firm — a company
  11. last — finally
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mark — a grade
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. firm — decided
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rash — a series
  20. last — final
  21. drill — army training
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. firm — steady
  24. mouse — the animal

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