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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. dip — to sink
  3. last — final
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bulb — for light
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mark — a grade
  11. last — finally
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pass — a permit
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wound — an injury
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bulb — for light
  24. dip — to dunk

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