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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. rash — a series
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cap — a lid
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. game — a match
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rash — hasty
  16. game — wild animals
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cap — of ice
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cap — a hat
  23. last — final
  24. bowl — to roll

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