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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rest — what's left
  8. firm — decided
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. firm — steady
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. track — a path
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. kid — child
  15. track — a song
  16. firm — a company
  17. branch — a division
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wake — a trail
  22. last — final
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. track — to keep track

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