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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. chest — of your body
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stock — shares
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. last — finally
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. stock — goods
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. squash — the sport
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. chest — a box
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fork — in a road
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rest — a break
  23. squash — to crush
  24. last — to go on

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