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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rush — hurry
  4. shower — rain
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. saw — the tool
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. last — final
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. last — finally
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. shower — to wash
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. saw — the tool
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. squash — to crush

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