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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. spell — letters
  9. deal — to handle
  10. last — finally
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. cold — an illness
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. last — final
  24. deal — an agreement

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