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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. saw — the tool
  5. last — to go on
  6. cap — a lid
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mate — a partner
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. race — humankind
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. last — finally
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. race — a contest
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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