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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. snap — to click
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. charge — in control
  7. date — the fruit
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. last — finally
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rock — a stone
  15. kid — child
  16. last — final
  17. ball — a great time
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — a price
  23. kid — to tease
  24. wave — of the sea

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