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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. snap — to click
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. roll — a list
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. roll — a cake
  10. rest — what's left
  11. last — finally
  12. wound — an injury
  13. last — to go on
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. last — final
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rash — a series
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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