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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rule — a law
  3. squash — the sport
  4. last — finally
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. chest — of your body
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. chest — of your body
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chest — a box
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rest — a break
  15. last — final
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rule — government
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bear — the animal
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rest — what's left
  24. arm — part of the body

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